MIAMI, 05/13 – The NBA announced today that Miami HEAT guard Dwyane Wade has been named to the All-NBA First Team, becoming just the fourth player in franchise history to receive First Team honors. Wade joins Tim Hardaway (1996-97), Alonzo Mourning (1998-99) and Shaquille O’Neal (2004-05 and 2005-06) as the only HEAT players to be named to the All-NBA First Team. This marks the fourth time in Wade’s career he has received All-NBA honors. He previously earned Second Team honors in 2004-05 and 2005-06 and Third Team honors in 2006-07, making him the first player in franchise history to earn All-NBA honors four times. Joining Wade on the All-NBA First Team are Cleveland’s LeBron James, Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, L.A. Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and Orlando’s Dwight Howard. The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.

This latest announcement caps the best individual season in HEAT history. In addition to earning All-NBA First Team honors, Wade captured NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors, was a two-time Eastern Conference Player of the Month, a three-time Eastern Conference Player of the Week, finished third in the voting for both the Most Valuable Player Award and the Defensive Player of the Year Award, was a starter for the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Game in Phoenix and became the first HEAT player to win an NBA scoring title.

Wade finished the 2008-09 season averaging a league-best 30.2 points, 7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.19 steals, 1.34 blocks and 38.6 minutes while shooting 49.1 percent from the field, 31.7 percent from three-point range and 76.5 percent from the foul line. He joined Chris Paul as the only player’s in the NBA this season to rank among the Top 10 in four major statistical categories. Wade finished first in scoring, second in steals, tied for sixth in minutes and eighth in assists. He also ranked 16th in blocks and 31st in field goal percentage. Additionally, he became the only player in NBA history to record at least 2,000 points, 500 assists, 150 steals and 100 blocks during a single season. Wade capped off the 2008-09 season by becoming the only player in the league to amass at least 100 blocks and 100 steals. In the process, he becoming the only player in NBA history 6’4” or under to block at least 100 shots in a single season since blocks became an official stat in the 1973-74 season.

The HEAT co-captain set single-season career highs in games played (79), games started (79), minutes played (3,048), points scored (franchise-record 2,386), scoring average (franchise-record 30.2 ppg), field goals made (franchise-record 854), field goals attempted (franchise-record 1,739), three-point field goals made (88), three-point field goals attempted (278), assists (589), steals (franchise-record 173) and blocks (106). During the 2008-09 season, Wade became Miami’s all-time leading scorer against Utah on Mar. 15, the team’s all-time steals leader against New York on Feb. 28 and the HEAT’s all-time leader in free throws made against the L.A. Clippers on Feb. 2.