Former Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade looked back on the final year of his career and what led him to retire after the 2018-19 season. After Wade was honored by his hometown of Chicago over the summer, the Hall of Fame guard reflected on his decision to put a bow on his career despite having at least two more years left in him.

Wade, who earned his 13th and final All-Star selection in 2019, explained why he wanted to retire on his own terms, per Legion Hoops.

“I felt like that chapter needed to close — needed to end — before this generation saw me as really, really bad,” Wade said. “You know what I mean? I don't know if I was on top, but I'm good. They don't remember me being too bad. I ended still good enough. I was averaging 16 points a game.

“I was still getting buckets. Let me walk out that way because if I stayed two more seasons, which I thought I had about two more years to play, this generation would’ve been like ‘Don’t have any discussions about him; don't have no debates about him, he’s terrible.’”

For Dwyane Wade, the love he felt from the Heat organization and the fans in Miami made it easier to walk away after 16 seasons in the NBA.

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“It really warmed my heart with the ovation that I got on the way out,” Wade said. “I poured everything I had into the game. As good as I was going to get was as good as I was. And I was OK with that. Just feeling the fans' love on the way out, it kind of allowed me to put the game to rest. So, once I got to the end of the season, I was ready. Physically, I was ready. Mentally, I felt I was prepared.”

Wade led the Heat to three championships (2006, 2012, 2013), including winning back-to-back titles amidst Miami's Big 3 era alongside LeBron James, and Hall of Fame center Chris Bosh.