Ailing Wade to miss Olympics; he’ll have knee surgery instead
MIAMI – Dwyane Wade needs surgery on his left knee and will not play in next month’s London Olympics.
The Miami Heat guard called USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo and Olympic coach Mike Krzyzewski on Thursday to break the news, which was not totally unexpected after Wade played through pain in the postseason.
Wade appeared in all 23 Heat playoff games despite the knee problems, averaging 22.6 points during the NBA Finals to help spark Miami to a five-game win over Oklahoma City.
“I’ve decided to listen to my doctors and get the procedure I need on my knee,” Wade said. “USA Basketball said I had to what was best for me.”
Wade and his doctors are in the process of scheduling the surgery. Wade has been told it will be basically a “cleanup” procedure and should have him on crutches for only about a day afterward.
If all goes according to plan, Wade will be ready for training camp with the Heat this fall. He said last week that making sure he’s ready for the rest of his career with the Heat would be his top priority.
“That’s the way we laid it out,” he said. “Hopefully nothing changes. … I don’t think it’s going to limit me too much.”
Wade’s departure leaves 17 players in the mix for 12 spots on the U.S. Olympic team. That group convenes in Las Vegas next week to start training camp, then has five exhibitions with international teams before opening Olympic play against France on July 29.
Wade was the leading scorer for the U.S. team on its way to gold at the Beijing Games in 2008, and he hoped to be part of defending that title in London. But after meeting with doctors, he realized surgery was inevitable and delaying it until after the Olympics would seriously jeopardize his chance of being ready for the start of Miami’s title defense.