Dwyane Wade awoke Thursday morning for the first time as a member of an NBA team other than the Miami Heat. It immediately hit home.
"It's still surreal and I'm still numb," he said as he made a prearranged appearance as co-host alongside Kelly Ripa on LIVE with Kelly, the syndicated morning talk show.
Twelve hours earlier, Wade formalized the two-year, $47 million agreement that ended his 13-season tenure with the Heat and delivered him his hometown Chicago Bulls.
It turned what was scheduled as a lighthearted morning romp into a moment of reflection.
"This decision that I had to make last night, I mean I've been in Miami for 13 years. I mean 13 incredible years," he said alongside Ripa. "And you get a week to decide, you know, what you're going to do? And I didn't get no sleep. I lost probably five or 10 pounds, you know, just not being able to eat."
After a contentious round of negotiations with the Heat that included a Wednesday meeting with Heat owner Micky Arison in New York, where Wade made the LIVE with Kelly appearance, the All-Star shooting guard found himself contemplative Thursday.
"I just want to thank all my fans," he said to the national audience. "I mean, I call it, we call it, 'Heat Nation,' just around the world, just by the way they embrace me, this little shy kid from Chicago. I came from Milwaukee [where he attended Marquette] to Miami, and really grew up. And we did some special things together. I didn't do it by myself. I had so many unbelievable teammates along the way. But our fans are just phenomenal."
Later, in a series of posts on Twitter, Wade wrote directly to what for more than a decade had been an adoring fan base, "I wanna say THANK YOU to (hashtag)HeatNation ... I've read and felt you guys love from afar. thank you for appreciating my 13 years. (hashtag)FamilyAlways.
"The hardest part was leaving u guys. Y'all have supported me thru all my UPs but most importantly my DOWNS.
"I'm gonna miss running to the end corners of the court and the scorers' table yelling 'This is MY House!!!'
"But Miami-Dade County to me..will always be Wade County!!!"
Wade also spoke of having to move on from teammates and close friends Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem, adding, "I love you both beyond words."
Bosh remains under contract with the Heat, although he has missed the second half of the past two seasons due to blood clots, offering no update on a Wednesday appearance on HBO about whether he will be able to return. Haslem remains a free agent.
LIVE with Kelly began with an exchange between Wade and Ripa about the timing of the appearance that had been scheduled a month in advance.
Ripa: "So, what's up? Anything exciting happen to you last night?"
Wade: "Last night was a long, long night for me."
Ripa: "We weren't sure if you were going to show up, so we were really paying attention."
Wade: "I was so excited to get here. I was more nervous about this than I was about everything that happened last night."
Ripa: "Let me put your mind to ease, 'cause you just got through the hardest part. But I want to congratulate you because you are the newest Chicago Bull, is that correct?"
Ripa later asked Wade if he even remembered what winter was like, with Wade laughing and answering, "no."
But he said the move to Chicago has created different types of chills.
"I'm born and raised in Chicago," he said. "I had a house there until like 2000, until I got married again, when I had to get rid of it because it was bachelor pad. And I'm excited to go back to the place that I've always envisioned playing basketball.
"You know being a kid, growing up, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were the team for us. And I've always like envisioned myself being in the backyard, always had a Bulls jersey on, always envisioned Dwyane Wade's name being called in the United Center. And I get an opportunity to live that dream now."
