By the numbers: Where Wade could finish on all-time NBA lists
Save the last dance for Dwyane Wade in South Beach.
The 36-year-old is getting his retirement tour, as Wade announced Sunday night that he'll be returning to the Miami Heat for "one last dance" before calling it a career.
His place in Springfield as a future first-ballot Hall of Famer has long been cemented, but it's not as though the 12-time All-Star has nothing left to play for, outside of (an unlikely) fourth championship win.
Here's a look at where Wade ranks in a number of all-time statistical categories and where he could potentially end up when it's all said and done.
Points
| Rank | Player | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Robert Parish | 23334 |
| 28 | Adrian Dantley | 23177 |
| 29 | Elgin Baylor | 23149 |
| 30 | Clyde Drexler | 22195 |
| 31 | Dwyane Wade | 22082 |
Last season marked Wade's first since his rookie year that he failed to score at least 1,000 points, totaling 765 across 67 appearances with both the Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Barring a catastrophic injury early in the campaign, it's safe to assume he'll at least pass Drexler to eek into the top 30. Beyond that, it's not a given that Wade will get the 1,068 points he needs to jump both Baylor and Dantley, especially if he continues to be a reserve under head coach Erik Spoelstra.
Points (Playoffs)
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Tim Duncan | 5172 |
| 7 | Karl Malone | 4761 |
| 8 | Jerry West | 4457 |
| 9 | Tony Parker | 4045 |
| 10 | Dwyane Wade | 3954 |
Wade dropped 83 points across five games in the opening round against the Philadelphia 76ers last season. He currently trails Parker for ninth place all-time by 91 points.
His role will likely increase again in such pivotal games, as long as Miami qualifies for the third time in four years. Parker's Charlotte Hornets will be hard-pressed to secure a top-eight seed in the Eastern Conference, giving Wade a fighter's chance to move up.
Assists
| Rank | Player | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 46 | Mike Bibby | 5517 |
| 47 | Dennis Johnson | 5499 |
| 48 | Kevin Garnett | 5445 |
| 49 | Jason Terry | 5415 |
| 50 | Dwyane Wade | 5400 |
Only 377 dimes separate spots No. 40 through 50, but Wade has reached that number on four occasions.
Wade's 65 total assists (3.1 per contest in 21 games) translates to 195 in 63 games, which is a conservative estimate of how many games fans can expect him to suit up for. That number would get Wade to 46th place, jumping four players (one active) in the process.
Steals
| Rank | Player | Steals |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Jason Terry | 1603 |
| 32 | Andre Iguodala | 1602 |
| 33 | Terry Porter | 1583 |
| 34 | Doc Rivers | 1563 |
| 35 | Dwyane Wade | 1561 |
Wade's 61 steals in 2017-18 were his lowest ever.
Simply matching that output defensively would tie him with Hersey Hawkins for 27th, although Terry and Iguodala are still playing and should boost their respective steal numbers to keep Wade at bay.
Free Throws
| Rank | Player | Free Throws |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Shaquille O'Neal | 5935 |
| 21 | Carmelo Anthony | 5900 |
| 22 | Tim Duncan | 5896 |
| 23 | Elgin Baylor | 5763 |
| 24 | Dwyane Wade | 5543 |
In his prime, very few guards in the Association could maneuver their way through defenders and down the center of the lane to create contact quite like Wade.
There's not much wiggle room to climb the all-time free throws list, unfortunately, as Wade trails Baylor by 220 makes.
(Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com)