Wade spent 15 seasons in Miami and led his team to three NBA championships (2006, 2012 and 2013).

The 42-year-old watched as the crowd counted down and the panels slid away from his statue, which stands outside the arena.

“This is nothing I ever expected,” Wade told the crowd during the ceremony. “That’s not what I played for. That's not why I picked up the basketball. I picked up basketball to make a difference in my family’s life.”

The 13-time NBA All-Star started 909 of the 1,054 games he played and scored 23,165 points while posting a .480 average on the court during his decorated career.