[25] Three days after JoLinda was released from prison, she saw Wade play basketball for the first time in five years as Marquette upset the Cincinnati Bearcats, 70–61, to capture the Conference USA title on March 8, 2003.

Wade was subsequently named to the All-America First Team by the Associated Press (AP), making him the first basketball player from Marquette to receive the distinction since 1978.

Against a top-seeded Kentucky team, he delivered 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, including a memorable breakaway dunk, as Marquette upset the Wildcats, 83–69, and advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1977.

[28] Wade earned a unanimous selection to the 2004 NBA All-Rookie Team[28] and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting (after LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony).

[28] In the first playoff game, Wade hit a running jumper with 1.3 seconds left in the final quarter to give the Heat an 81–79 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

[29] In the first round of the 2005 playoffs, Wade averaged 26.3 points, 8.8 assists, and 6 rebounds a night while maintaining a 50% field-goal percentage as the Heat swept the New Jersey Nets.

[56][57] Early that season, Wade became the second player in NBA history to post at least 40 points, 10 assists, and five blocks in a single game since Alvan Adams in 1976–77.

[64] The following game, Wade tied his career-high with 16 assists and added 35 points on 62% shooting, six rebounds, plus a steal and a block, as the Heat beat the Phoenix Suns 135–129.

[65] Less than a week later, Wade hit the buzzer-beater and tied his earlier franchise record with his 78th straight double-digit scoring game in double-overtime against the Chicago Bulls.

[66] Wade joined Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to record that many points and that many assists in a single game while having as high of a field goal percentage.

[67] Two games later, Wade surpassed Alonzo Mourning to become the Heat's all-time leading scorer in triple overtime versus the Utah Jazz.

[71] Wade helped the Heat clinch a playoff berth and become only the second team to make the postseason after winning 15 or fewer games the season before.

[81] For the season, Wade averaged 26.6 points on 47.6% field goal shooting to go with 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks; doing so, he led his team to a 47–35 record and the fifth playoff seed.

After defeating the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, and Chicago Bulls, the Heat reached the NBA Finals but ultimately fell to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

[87] On February 26, 2012, Wade recorded the third triple-double in the history of the All-Star Game, posting 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, joining Jordan and James.

Wade and Bosh re-signed with the Heat,[98][99] joined by Udonis Haslem, Chris Andersen, and Mario Chalmers as well as former rivals Danny Granger and Luol Deng.

After a 114–93 loss to the Orlando Magic during the third game, in which Wade scored only five points, he volunteered to take a bench role and became the leader of the second unit.

[116] Acquiring guards Jordan Clarkson, George Hill and Rodney Hood, the Cavaliers[116] traded Wade back to the Miami Heat in exchange for a protected 2024 second-round draft pick.

[118] On February 9, in his first game back with the Heat, Wade was garnered a standing ovation and recorded three points, two rebounds, two assists, and two blocks off the bench in a 91–85 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

[134] In his final game against the Brooklyn Nets the following night, Wade recorded his fifth career triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Heat lost by a score of 113–94.

Wade is a member of a small ownership group that includes Smith, his wife Ashley, investor and Accel partner Ryan Sweeney, Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes and the Miller family, which previously owned the team.

I'm thankful for him, and I know too that I bring a lot to this partnership outside of just my basketball knowledge and skills.Wade said in the announcement of his purchase that he hoped to take a hands-on approach to his involvement, and highlighted his close brother-like relationship with Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, who he called the player most like him and "2.0".

Wade, who led the team in scoring, tallied a game-high 27 points in 27 minutes on 75% field goal shooting and added four steals, two assists, and two rebounds.

[143] Wade averaged a team-high 16 points in 18 minutes on 67% field goal shooting, four rebounds, two assists, and 2.3 steals, as the U.S. lived up to their Redeem Team moniker and claimed gold medal honors for the first time since 2000.

[146] David Thorpe, an athletic trainer who runs a training center for NBA players, cited Wade's post-up game as one of his strengths.

[145] His style drew concerns over the dangers of playing in this manner,[145] as Wade had hurt his knees and wrists after mid-air collisions with larger players.

[182][183] Wade's endorsement deals included Gatorade, Lincoln, Staples, Sean John, T-Mobile (his TV commercials paired him with Charles Barkley), and Topps.

[197] Wade stated, "I expected nothing less from my friends and colleagues in the sports community, our commitment to this cause knows no bounds, and we will continue to accept any and all donations throughout the days ahead.

In July 2020, Wade tweeted in support of Nick Cannon, who was fired from ViacomCBS after making racist remarks and endorsing antisemitic conspiracy theories.

[203] Following some backlash, Wade later deleted his tweet and clarified that he had expressed his support of "[Cannon's ownership of] the content and [the] brand he helped create", and affirmed that he has "zero tolerance for any hate speech.