“Well, tonight, as you see, I’ll probably go party. I’m about to go dance, and then after that, we’ll figure it out. I don’t have any plans right now.” After his final game in the league, Dwyane Wade had only one plan afterward. His 16-year career came to an end, but along the way, he created many unforgettable moments. One of them is now forever part of the franchise history, as he is the first player in the Heat’s franchise to receive a statue. But how was the first day after retirement?

“Depression is real and I think that’s the thing we think we immune to it. We think we immune to depression but it sets in for all of us, especially when we ain’t doing what we’ve been so great at our whole life,” D-Wade spoke to former teammates Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller on their podcast.

“Like you’ve been great our whole lives at something and it’s gone, it’s gone. I woke up the next day after Brooklyn, after we party we did my last game. I was crying like a baby the next day.”

The feeling of being unable to contribute to what he loved deeply affected D-Wade, making him emotional. It’s not easy to walk away from a successful career as the void left becomes unbearable to deal with.

“I was crying like a baby, I was in the bed crying bro because it was over. I didn’t work my whole life for it and now I am 37 and it is over and I’m talking about it was over for me. It was like I was going to the gym the next week it was over. And I’m like I will never play basketball again meaningful,” said Wade. Co-host and former teammate Miller agreed and said he had the same feeling.

He highlighted that a major chunk of it comes from being competitive, and post-career, no such feeling can compensate.“You’re never going to get that competition back,” he said via The OGs podcast. So, Dwyane Wade has been actively practicing and playing golf to keep the competitive juices flowing. This is similar to Michael Jordan, who even built his private golf course on an invite-only basis.

But not just a post-playing career, most athletes became unhappy during the time they plied their trade with their teams. The Commissioner of the NBA shared it a few years ago, and Dwyane Wade recently added his two cents since his son wants to carve out a career in hooping.

Dwyane Wade and Adam Silver highlight a human issue lost in the world of glitz and glamor

In 2019, during the MIT Sloane Sports Analytics Conference, Silver explained that whenever he met players, “they are truly unhappy.” Further, he added fans might wonder when players earn millions, how can one be unhappy? “But a lot of these young men are genuinely unhappy…some of them are amazingly isolated.” It’s not easy to play a grueling schedule of 82 games in a season.

Due to constant travel, and less time to spend at home, it does take a toll. Even in Starting 5, the series displayed players getting to the basketball court during the holiday season. It messes with the mental health of players and it’s understandable when some players break down. So, Dwyane Wade added on his podcast, “Probably like 90% of the league, there’s only a few players that’s really happy with their role.”

Another important thing to note is how an athlete’s shelf life is limited. According to the league report, the average career span is 4.5 years. In that time, the player must admit to the system, the style of play, and his teammates/ coaches. Your entire life flashbacks kick in once you take the sport away due to retirement from the sport, and the situation becomes emotional.

Hence, player welfare must be addressed in today’s day and age.