If Dwyane Wade was just a basketball player, then Superman is just a superhero.

After an illustrious professional basketball career that saw him play more than 14 seasons in Miami, Dwyane Wade has called his basketball career quits. His career, which is highlighted by three NBA Championships and a NBA Finals MVP, is more than a basketball career, it’s a turning point of the city of Miami.

Whether a fan’s childhood was dominated by Dwyane Wade’s circus-like shots or game-winning buzzer beaters or a fan grew old with those same highlights, Wade made people in South Florida a basketball fan and made them proud to be from the Magic City.

The prodigal son who returned to the city just a season ago has once again proved who Wade was. As he stepped off the plane, everything in the universe seemed right for the moment. The beauty of sports once again proved to be a distraction for what life has to offer.

Now, in his age 37 season where ‘Father Time’ should have taken his career down the wrong path, Wade has once again proved that he is larger than life to those fans that have sold out the American Airlines Arena, a stadium Wade put on the map.

Over the course of the season, Wade has missed just ten games this season, seven of which were missed because of his paternity leave after the birth of his daughter. In 72 games, Wade has scored 15 points, four assists and four rebounds all while shooting 43% from the field and 33% from three. He’s hit clutch game-winners, including one against the league’s best Golden State and has swapped jerseys with all of the game’s best, including his brother and former teammate LeBron James.

Now, as his career ends, his impact to the city of Miami is all fans can remember and for good reason. Ask a fan what Dwyane Wade means to the city and the answers you get likely won’t vary too much. Wade has meant more than basketball, he represents being a good servant to the community that built you and he represents a generation of South Floridians who are now diehard basketball fans.