MIAMI – Dwyane Wade showed up to his youth basketball camp Saturday in Miami to set the record straight about his breakup with the Miami Heat and team president Pat Riley.
"It's going to be a lot of stuff said about me and Pat," the three-time NBA champion said. "First of all, I love Pat. he has a job to do. He has a different hat to wear. That sometimes is not to be my best friend. That hat is to be the president of the organization and to be a businessman, and that sucks. You love each other, but the business side comes out, and you have to deal with it."
Wade continued to comment on the perceived strained relationship with Pat Riley and his former team.
"I'm never bashing Pat Riley," he said. "I'm never bashing the Miami Heat organization. I'm never saying nothing negative about them out of my mouth."
Wade also said that his decision to leave Miami for his hometown of Chicago was not all about the money.
The 13-year veteran turned down $40 million from the Heat in favor of $47 million from the Bulls.
"It wasn't just about the business or the dollar amount, its about an opportunity as well," he said. "When you play this game you have opportunity in life. I took this opportunity, this moment to seize it. I felt that I can't play for long. Some people think I can't play no more. I figured last couple years to play, I wanted to live out a dream of mine. Unfortunately, that dream of mine is a tough decision and it's gonna hurt so many of our fans here, but to go home and play in Chicago is something I've always dreamed of since I was a little bitty kid. So it's cool to be able to make those kind of choices."
Wade also joked that watching all of the tribute videos was kind of like an obituary.
"And that's what it felt like, you know," he said. "It felt like it really was the end of life. I guess it's the end of life in Miami as of now."