South Florida basketball icon Dwyane Wade’s name to adorn downtown Miami street

Miami Heat fans should see a physical manifestation of the city’s love for South Florida sports icon Dwyane Wade the next time they head downtown for a basketball game, now that the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners has voted to erect street signs honoring the retired star.

Tuesday’s unanimous vote co-designates the portion of Northeast Seventh Street that runs from Biscayne Boulevard to Northeast Second Avenue near FTX Arena as Dwyane Wade Boulevard. The name becomes official within 10 days or after Mayor Daniella Levine Cava signs the resolution, which was sponsored by Commissioner Keon Hardemon and Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz.

The vote might come as a surprise to many fans of the retired superstar who may already know the street outside the arena as having been named after “DWade.” The Miami City Commission voted to name the street after Wade last year. Only a few weeks ago, Wade reacted on social media to a tweet about a Miami Uber driver’s phone identifying Dwyane Wade Boulevard, writing “Low key this got me hyped.”

But no street signs for Dwyane Wade Boulevard yet exist, as the city didn’t have unilateral authority to rename the road after Wade. County approval was also required.

Following Tuesday’s vote, the county will now work to install the traffic and street signage which, according to an official in the Department of Transportation and Public Works, typically takes two to three weeks.

Before the county could approve the resolution, due to an ordinance related to street namings, the county auditor’s office conducted a background check on Wade. No “adverse findings” were discovered, according to a supplemental memo.

Through his 15 seasons with the Miami Heat, Wade became a South Florida sports icon. He led the team to three NBA Championships. In 2006, Wade was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, and in 2008 he helped the U.S. Men’s National Basketball Team get the gold at the Beijing Olympics.

Born in Chicago in 1982, Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. was drafted fifth overall by the Heat in 2003 after a successful college basketball run with the Marquette Golden Eagles. Wade retired in 2019. He now owns a minority stake in the Utah Jazz.

The new namesake of the downtown Miami boulevard is also heavily involved in philanthropy. In 2003, Wade founded The Wade’s World Foundation, which lends support and funds to community-based organizations that focus on health, education, and social development for at-risk youth.