Wade and Haslem were on the court for the celebration. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra decided long ago that, even with Tuesday's Miami-Orlando matchup being such a big game in terms of playoff hopes, his players were going to be out on the floor to see the Bosh ceremony.

Wade introduced Bosh, telling stories of how he learned Spanish off Rosetta Stone CDs and how he became an outstanding self-taught guitar player who wound up jamming with the legendary Buddy Guy. He also talked about how much he admires the way Bosh embraces being a father and husband.

"The person who made the 'Big 3' era legendary," Wade said.

Spoelstra tells stories of his time with Bosh all the time. One of his favorites — the night Bosh, after a playoff loss in Indiana put the Heat down 2-1 in a series, knocked on the door of his hotel suite at 2 am with beers in hand. They sipped and talked for 45 minutes, not a word said about basketball. The Heat won Game 4, and the series.

"If you want to understand our culture and what we're about, there's nothing better than a night like tonight," Spoelstra said.