Like many other NBA players, Wade paid tribute to Kobe following his retirement announcement.
A few hours before Monday night's game against the Boston Celtics, Dwyane Wade shared his thoughts on Kobe Bryant's announcement and explained why the "Black Mamba" was so important to his own NBA career :
I idolized Michael Jordan my whole life, but Michael Jordan was like a ghost to me. I never played against him. So Kobe was the realest thing for me because, as a fan growing up in high school and college, that was my favorite player.