The Week of Wade offered an undeniable truth: Dwyane Wade was, is and indelibly will remain part of the Miami Heat’s fabric, and for more than the statue now in place in front of Kaseya Center.

Yes, he also played for the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, but that misstep by all involved was rectified with his return for his Heat farewell tour, a Heat jersey standing as his final jersey.

Which makes one element of the process still feel a bit off, that Wade’s active involvement in the league, as limited as it may be, is now with the Utah Jazz, as a minority owner.

Because at no point, from the moment the Kaseya Center court was dedicated to Pat Riley on Oct. 23 to the multiple days Wade spent being feted, did it ever feel as anything but Wade once, now and forever Heat.

Yes, Micky Arison has every right to operate his team as he sees fit, success that cannot be argued. It started as a family operation; it continues as one.

Yet in recent years, as is his wont, Udonis Haslem has not been shy about seeking a piece of the pie, although not necessarily interested that a piece of the multibillion-dollar pie requires, by league rule, at least a one-percent investment.

But with Wade, whose charismatic joy for the game caught the eye of Jazz owner Ryan Smith, it just feels that the investment, for all Heat parties involved, should be with the Heat.

Emotionally, the investment was incontrovertible the past week, from Wade’s tribute to the Heat’s past legends to the praise of a future personified by current center Bam Adebayo.

Having living Culture (yes, in this case with a capital C) all in one place for a weekend, with Wade alongside Riley, Haslem and Alonzo Mourning, felt as right as any Heat personnel pairing this side of the Big Three, and perhaps even more so.

Argue, should you choose, what Wade can do as a recruiter for the Jazz.

But seemingly every word of Wade for 48 hours this past Sunday and Monday stood as Heat doctrine, about how it is a franchise not for all, but how it can be an experience that resonates for a lifetime.

“I didn’t come into history,” Wade said of the nascent state of Heat success when he arrived in 2003. “I’m part of building that history. And so this is just the beginning. This organization will be here way longer than me. But my name will be associated with it forever, and so I’m appreciative of that.”

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This was not talk of Stockton and Malone, and the franchise that erected those statues.

This was someone who met with the current roster of the Heat during the visit for his ceremony, reminding the players of his journey in their colors.

“You don’t have those players, they don’t come around often,” he would later say of the franchise’s icons. “You have a lot of talented players come around, you have people that do great things. But you don’t have cornerstone individuals who can take your culture and keep it going.”

That led Wade to reflect on another basketball moment of this past year, of watching the Boston Celtics — a Heat archrival during Wade’s time and since — first roll past the Heat in last season’s opening round of the playoffs and then roll to the 2024 NBA championship.

The trophy brought back memories.

The celebrations left him forlorn — as Celtics legends returned to bask in another generation’s glory.

“I want to be a part of winning,” Wade said of his alumni aspirations. “I ain’t going to lie to you guys. I was jealous watching the Boston Celtics the other night, because I saw KG [Kevin Garnett] and Paul Pierce and Ray Allen out there.

“I was like, ‘I want to be that guy.’ I want to be the old guy to come back when the team wins a championship.”

As in back in Miami.

Back to celebrate where he delivered three times for South Florida.

“And so it’s important for me to set that example and be that example, but not to be the only one,” he said. “And so we’re thankful for Zo because he set it. UD and I followed.”

When Wade took his role with the Jazz, the thought was it would be to mentor Donovan Mitchell, keep him content in Utah’s mix. Instead, Mitchell was dealt to the Cavaliers.

Now when Wade speaks of mentorship, he speaks of Adebayo, the Heat’s captain.

“Bam has to be thankful for us, because we set it and now he’s following it,” Wade said. “So hopefully it keeps going.

“To mention Bam with those likes, that’s respect, because we see him as someone who’s going to continue to take on everything that we learned here and everything that we’ve passed on for this organization to be successful.”

That does not sound like someone who has distanced himself from the Heat, even while now living on the other side of the country.

That sounds like an investment that runs deeper than currency, one with a currency of its own.

IN THE LANE

ASKED, ANSWERED: Sculptor Omri Amrany, with the same measured tone as after last Sunday’s ceremony, offered a reasoned response to the Los Angeles Times to the criticism of the visage of Dwyane Wade in the statue now in front of Kaseya Center. “Every time you unveil a sculpture there are people with different comments,” Amrany said. “It’s natural. Art that does not (evoke) response is the most boring art that you can have.” Amrany was asked about the Wade piece in relation to the Kobe Bryant piece he previously did, which drew similar critique. “We had the same thing with Kobe No. 8. After we unveiled the piece, we got very nasty messages from different people. You know, it’s their right to express the way they want, and if I’m acting as a psychologist for their frustration, so be it.”

OR NOT: Before he was honored at Kaseya Center for his statue’s unveiling, Wade was asked about the next three NBA players he felt deserving of statues of their own, offering up LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. James in Cleveland certainly makes sense, as does Curry for Golden State. But with Durant, and his wandering ways, it’s a bit more complicated, without a definitive link to a specific team. Durant, himself, questioned the possibility. “I highly, highly doubt I get a statue of me put anywhere for playing basketball,” Durant said on the Up & Adams show. “I appreciate the love, though, people show for me. That’s enough for me. Dwyane Wade is a different case, man, he is Miami.” Durant added, “It’s usually those guys that got the Hall of Fame career, with championships, you’ve been with one city for a long time. That’s not the case for me.” Durant won two championships with the Golden State Warriors, having also played for the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn Nets and, now, Phoenix Suns. “I disagree with D-Wade,” Durant said, “but I appreciate him for putting me in that category with two other guys who probably will get statues in cities that they played at.”

WADE ON BUTLER: On the night he was honored for Sunday’s statue unveiling, Wade was asked pregame about Jimmy Butler finding his way with this season’s Heat roster, saying Butler “needs to figure out this team this year and how he’s going to be the best version of Jimmy Butler for this team.” Wade said he appreciates Butler, 35, has moved into a different place in his career. “Roles change and you got to find that role and you got to find that comfort,” Wade continued. “So right now, we’re watching a team finding themselves and Jimmy has to find his role on this year’s team.” Wade added, “It’s not the same as the first year when he got here. The personnel is different. He’s different. He’s older, as well. Miles are adding up. But he’s smarter as a basketball player than he’s ever been.”

TRIBUTE PAID: In announcing his retirement in The Players’ Tribune, longtime NBA forward Rudy Gay cited the influences of former Heat players Mike Miller, Patty Mills and Kyle Lowry and how each provided support during different stops. “There were so many players who were kind enough to pass along some of their expertise. Way too many to name,” Gay, 38, said. “But I’ll always be grateful to Mike Miller for showing me how to put in work. How to hone your craft through consistent and focused training. Mike was a maniac with that stuff, and if you were around him enough you couldn’t help but to have it rub off. Patty Mills and Manu Ginobili were two other guys I absolutely loved. They’re both tireless competitors, and Patty is literally the most optimistic, positive person I’ve ever met. Darrell Arthur, too, another Memphis guy. Did all the little things, the dirty work. He had a huge impact on me. Then there’s Chris Paul, my friend and also one of the most competitive people I have ever met. I remember us not talking for years over a playoff series! And Kyle Lowry. Kyle is one of my best friends in the entire world, going all the way back to middle school. So, it was awesome to be able to suit up and play in NBA games with Kyle.”

NUMBER

3. Times the Heat are scheduled to play the New York Knicks this season, including Wednesday night’s 116-107 loss at Kaseya Center. Teams play conference opponents outside of their division either three or four times a season. The Heat and Knicks have met four times just once over the last seven seasons. The teams also are scheduled to meet March 2 in Miami and March 17 at Madison Square Garden. A fourth matchup, a possible second meeting in New York, remains possible in mid December in either the quarterfinals or makeup games of the In-Season Tournament.