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Wade doesn't want a Kobe-style farewell tour: 'That's not who I am'

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

When Dwyane Wade decides to call it a career, he's not expecting the kind of fanfare and hoopla that surrounded Kobe Bryant upon his exit from the NBA back in 2016.

That's just not Wade's style.

"I'm not a narcissist like that," Wade told ESPN's Jorge Sedano in a sit-down interview. "I don't think I need it. I'm not calling Kobe a narcissist. He earned it and needed that. But I can't set out and say I want a farewell tour like Kobe Bryant. That's not who I am. ... When the time comes (to retire), I'll announce it in my own D-Wade fashion the way that I do. Hopefully I can move on and live on the memories from that point on."

Bryant declared his intention to retire in a poem he wrote for The Players' Tribune entitled "Dear Basketball," which was released just over a month into the 2015-16 regular season. This set off a chain reaction across the league, with opposing teams airing video tributes and holding on-court ceremonies to honor "The Black Mamba."

Wade, 36, doesn't know when his own retirement will come, but he does know that he'll spend his remaining days in the Association as a member of the Miami Heat.

"... I'm taking it year by year. I'm going into the summer seeing how I feel, especially from this point on and then we'll see," Wade added. "But I'm here forever. This is Wade County forever. I will always be here. No matter where I go in the world I will be here. Until I get done playing the game of basketball, I'll have on a Miami Heat jersey and I will enjoy this ride as long as it lasts."

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