Heat's Dwyane Wade not expecting Kobe-style retirement

Dwyane Wade isn't expecting a Kobe Bryant-esque farewell tour when he retires from NBA competition.

If it happens, though, he certainly wouldn't complain.

NBA All-Star Weekend is in the midst of going down in Toronto, and the fact Los Angeles Lakers guard Bryant will play his final All-Star game before retirement is looming large over the entire event.

Bryant has been praised and honored in countless ways during his final season. That has raised questions about how other players will be treated when their time is done. Wade is a three-time NBA champion and has consistently played at an elite level during his 13 seasons in the league. And similar to Bryant, he's remained faithful to one organization throughout that entire career.

It remains a mystery of when Wade will decide to walk away from the sport, but when he does, he said Bryant's treatment has created no expectations of praise.

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"I can't say I want that; whatever happens, happens," Wade told USA TODAY Sports. "I'm not the person to say, 'Oh, I hope that happens for me.' I have my own path and my own journey. When it's time for me to stop playing, whatever comes – maybe no one even notices I'm leaving. I don't know. I can't care about that."

Wade said he isn't sure about the type of reaction he'll get when he eventually retires. But he is confident of one thing: the Miami Heat supporters will stand behind him no matter what.

"At the end of the day I know people in Miami is going to love me and appreciate what I've done," Wade said. "Outside of that, whatever comes from my peers or from fans around the world, you take it in stride and you thank everybody and just keep moving."

Although Wade isn't looking for a certain kind of treatment for his own career, he said the response to Bryant's retirement has been more than appropriate given his accomplishments and contributions to the game.

"Even though we're all competitors and we all compete against each other, it's a respect factor deep inside and you get to see it with Kobe," Wade said. "Everyone now is paying respects to one of our game's greats. That's the way it should be."

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Sunday's All-Star game at Toronto's Air Canada Centre not only marks the final time Wade plays against Bryant in that setting, but it will also mark the first time he plays alongside former teammate LeBron James after James left Miami to rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers two seasons ago.

Wade said he's looking forward to the reunion.

"It feels way longer than it does, for sure," Wade said. "We've been rebuilding since, and LeBron obviously went to the final right away. It hasn't been that long, it's only the second season, but it feels way longer."