MIAMI _ What matters to Dwyane Wade won't change, he said Saturday, even as he wears the colors of the Chicago Bulls. That had the now-former Miami Heat guard discussing Udonis Haslem, Chris Bosh and his ongoing embrace of South Florida.
"This community has been a part of me for 13 years. It's a part of me for that long; it's a part of me forever," the All-Star guard said at the conclusion of the six-mile D. Wade CommUNITY Bike Ride through Coconut Grove that was held in partnership with the City of Miami and the Florida Department of Transportation to promote cycling safety and unity within the community. "So I always want do what I can in different ways to help uplift certain communities that have been special and important to me."
Wade's event came two months after he departed the Heat during NBA free agency and in the immediate wake of offering thanks to Miami on six billboards throughout South Florida.
"There's so much you want to say. What are the most simple words, but what means the most, is just, 'Thank you.' Just simply those words mean a lot," he said of the billboards. "So it was something I was thinking about, coming back to Miami for the last time, before the season started."
Among the 1,000 riders alongside Wade was Haslem.
"What I'm going to miss most is probably U.D., just my relationship with my brother," Wade said. "That's probably going to be the hardest thing for me, is not to have him by my side. For the last 13 years, he's been to my left or been to my right, not matter what happened."
Wade also leaves behind Bosh, last season's other Heat tri-captain, who has missed the second half of the past two seasons due to blood clots. Wade spent Friday night alongside Bosh at the Kanye West concert at AmericanAirlines Arena.
"The last two years, it sucked for him and his family, but it sucked for his close friends, as well, to see him go through that," Wade said. "So I pray that he gets the chance to get back on the basketball court and just do what he loves to do."
Asked if he had ongoing concerns about Bosh's health, Wade said, "I have, at times. I think, right now, all I focus on is he's making the strides and the steps back on the court."
Wade said it would be particularly meaningful to have Bosh back in uniform on Nov. 10, when Wade makes his lone appearance of the season at AmericanAirlines Arena with the Bulls.
"I look forward coming back November 10, as well," Wade said. "And enjoying that moment with this community ... also trying to kick your butt and get a win."
One connection Wade has yet to make since his departure has been with Heat President Pat Riley.
In July, Riley said of his emotions over the franchise's loss of Wade, "I've been crafting a very long email to him. And I'm going to send it when it's finished. But it's not finished."
Saturday, Wade said, "That's the funny thing about phones. Spell checks sometimes messes up the cells. I haven't received it yet, but I'm sure it's coming."
To Wade, Saturday was not about basketball, though. Instead, it was about bringing communities together, which has been a mission with his family in the wake of the random gun violence that took the life of his cousin last month in Chicago.
"My family has always been in the community," he said. "That's one thing I love about my family. And when something hits you, the way it hit us, it becomes even realer.
"It's great I'm able to call on the city and say, 'Hey, I want to do this bike ride with you guys and this is what we want to do,' and they be all for it."
And, with that, it basically is off to Chicago, to begin the next chapter, after three championships, five NBA Finals appearances and six billboards of thanks in Miami.
"There's going to be levels to this," he said. "It's not an overnight thing. I talked to Chicago and they understand that. I'm trying to get adjusted to everything. I've been in one city my NBA career for 13 years. It's different.
"I'm looking forward to the next chapter in my life and it starts in about a week and a half. So I'm excited, into my 14th year in my career. And that's the one thing I always told myself, 'As long as I'm still exited to keep playing this game, then I will keep going.' So I have an excitement and I'm going to keep going."
