Dwyane Wade is already preparing for his "big change."
The veteran guard will seek therapy after retiring following his 16th season in the NBA. He told ESPN's Rachel Nichols he now embraces the idea of talking to a psychologist, after once having a skeptical attitude, in an exclusive interview on The Jump that aired Friday.
"I'll be in therapy. Seriously," Wade said. "I meant it, it is going to be a big change. I told my wife, I said, 'I need to do therapy, and we need to do a little bit.'
"I was always against someone that don't know me telling me how to live my life or giving me instructions. But I need someone to talk to about it. Because it is a big change. Even though I got a long life to live, other great things I can accomplish and do, it's not this. So it's going to be different."
Wade doesn't know exactly what he'll be doing after stepping off the court for the final time. His exit could come as early as the end of the regular season. Miami is currently half a game out of playoff contention in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. The Heat have just four games left to try to catch up and claim one of the last three playoff spots.
But whether he makes it to another postseason or not, Wade has enjoyed his "Retirement Tour."
"I have no idea what it is I want to do yet," Wade said. "But I definitely know I want to do a little bit of everything. Especially in the beginning, I want to see what I can be great at. I'm so used to being great at something or trying to strive to be great at something. That's what I want to be at whatever else I choose to do. We'll see."
He added: "It's been surreal. It's like you — you have this vision of, you know, how you want things to go, right? With everything in life. And when something, you know, surpasses that vision, it's kinda like it's an out-of-body experience.
"I couldn't have written this book any better. This is a best-seller. And I couldn't have written it, about my life."
Wade, 37, is averaging 14.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists in his final season.
The three-time NBA champion and 2006 Finals MVP is playing just over 25 minutes per game. He is averaging 17 points in the team's past five games.
"I'm gonna go out the way D-Wade's supposed to go out. You know what I mean?" Wade said. "And like, I think it helps, too, that we are in this playoff battle. 'Cause I'm just trying to win."
The Heat will play a road game against the Timberwolves on Friday at 8 p.m. ET and won't return to the American Airlines Arena until Tuesday for Wade's final home game.
