Dwyane Wade Says He Worried About Life After NBA: 'All I Knew Was I Loved the Game of Basketball'

The Miami Heat legend is always contemplating his next move after an impressive career in the NBA

dwyane wade
Photo: the daily show with trevor noah/ youtube

Dwyane Wade isn't afraid of the future.

In an interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Wednesday, the 39-year-old retired professional basketball player admitted he dealt with uncertainty about what was next as he walked away from the NBA in 2019.

When Noah asked Wade who he'd be without basketball in the picture he admitted to taking months off to contemplate his next move.

"I mean basketball is what I know. Right? From the standpoint of I've focused my whole life on trying to be great. If you are trying to be great at something, you understand that it takes all of your attention. It takes all of your time. And once I got to my last year, I was like 'All right, I think I am ready to walk away.' I was like 'what am I going to do next?' " he said.

"Because I didn't know, you know. All I knew was I loved the game of basketball and I enjoy business and I enjoy making money. I enjoy creating things. I enjoy designing things. So, for me, it was like: let's find what that next step is. So I feel that I am in that rookie season in life again. I am in the pregame again in this new step, this new walk," Wade continued.

The interview comes as Wade's new memoir Dwyane was released earlier this week.

The memoir is filled with more than 200 photos and memories of the Miami Heat legend's career that spanned over 15 years in the NBA until he retired. In that time period, he also played for the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Wade is married to actress Gabrielle Union, 49. He shares daughter Kaavia James, 3, with Union and is a father to sons Zaire, 19, Xavier, 7, and Dahveon, 19, (his nephew) and daughter Zaya, 13.

In an interview about his book with PEOPLE, Wade noted that his family plays a big part in what he hopes his legacy is.

"I think the biggest thing, when I think about legacy, I think about what am I able to leave?" said Wade when reflecting. "What I'm able to build? What platform I'm able to have that my kids can stand on and jump off of, and not be behind like I was when I was growing up, right? That'd be my biggest and greatest legacy."

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