Dwyane Wade, who is down to what could be the last four games of his career as the Miami Heat‘s playoff status remains in flux, says he will seek professional help to deal with life after basketball.
In an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that aired Friday on The Jump, Wade said he has overcome a skeptical attitude and embraced the idea of talking to a clinician.
“I’ll be in therapy. Seriously,” Wade said. “I meant it, it is going to be a big change. I told my wife, I said, ‘I need to do therapy, and we need to do a little bit.’
“I was always against someone that don’t know me telling me how to live my life or giving me instructions. But I need someone to talk to about it. Because it is a big change. Even though I got a long life to live, other great things I can accomplish and do, it’s not this. So it’s going to be different.”
Of late, Wade has been motivated by a retirement tour that has seen him be the toast of the town in Boston and New York.
“It’s been surreal,” Wade said. “It’s like you — you have this vision of, you know, how you want things to go, right, with everything in life. And when something, you know, surpasses that vision, it’s kinda like it’s an out-of-body experience.
“I couldn’t have written this book any better. This is a best-seller. And I couldn’t have written it, about my life.”
With the Heat battling four teams for the last three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, Wade has averaged 17 points for the past five games and continues to play almost 30 minutes a game. Wade said he hasn’t envisioned putting up an even bigger number in his final game — such as Kobe Bryant’s 60 — but didn’t rule it out if it’s what the Heat need.
“I’m gonna go out the way D-Wade’s supposed to go out. You know what I mean?” Wade said. “And like, I think it helps, too, that we are in this playoff battle. ‘Cause I’m just trying to win.”
Wade said he doesn’t want the season to end but knows “it has to.”
“I’m in a real good space,” Wade told The Jump. “And I haven’t been in that space in a long time. I’m happy with how my body feels. I’m happy with the extra additions to my life. I’m excited about the unknown. How we going to get it done, you know? So I’m excited about it.”
Beyond looking forward to a general happiness in life, Wade said he doesn’t hold specific retirement goals.
“I have no idea what it is I want to do yet,” Wade said. “But I definitely know I want to do a little bit of everything. Especially in the beginning, I want to see what I can be great at. I’m so used to being great at something or trying to strive to be great at something. That’s what I want to be at whatever else I choose to do. We’ll see.”
He was nearly certain that in the final moments of his NBA career, he won’t let his emotions get the best of him.
“I don’t think I’m gonna cry,” Wade said. “I only cry in intimate settings.”