Dwyane Wade Says He Misses 'Being Better Than People' After NBA Retirement

Dwyane Wade reminisced about his career as one of the best shooting guards in the NBA six years after retirement in a recent interview with Matthew Roberson of GQ.

The 43-year-old told Roberson he decided to retire from playing after the 2018-19 season because he no longer had his "explosion level," and that he "didn't envy" those still playing in the NBA.

"Once I knew that I didn't have that special quality anymore, that I lost all my powers and I became a regular basketball player, the game was not as fun as it used to be," Wade told Roberson.

Wade added, per Roberson: "What I do miss is being better than people. I miss being good at something, really good at it."

Drafted by the Miami Heat in 2003, Wade went on to spend a decade as one of the best players in the NBA with the franchise.

He earned a Finals MVP award for powering the Heat to a title in 2006, helped Team USA win Olympic gold as a part of the 2008 Redeem Team and finished third in league MVP voting after leading the NBA with 30.2 points per game in 2009.

After re-signing with the Heat in order to play with LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2010, Wade contributed to the team's back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.

Wade left the franchise in 2016 for brief stints with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, but returned to Miami to close out his career. He was with the Heat when he announced ahead of his age-37 season he would retire from playing in 2019.

His career has been enshrined in Springfield since 2023, when the former Heat star was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Wade donned the orange jacket for a second time when the Redeem Team was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in September.

The only players from that team who remain active in the NBA are James, who is heading into his record 23rd season and his eighth with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Chris Paul, who has returned to the Los Angeles Clippers for his 21st campaign.