MIAMI, December 5 – Miami HEAT guard Dwyane Wade was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week this afternoon for the week ending Dec. 4. This marks the 16th time in franchise history a HEAT player has earned Player of the Week honors. For Wade, this is the third time he has been tabbed the Player of the Week, moving into sole possession of second place on the HEAT’s all-time list trailing only teammate Alonzo Mourning (five times as a member of the HEAT). Wade has received the league honors once in each of the past three seasons. He is the first HEAT player to earn the honor since Shaquille O’Neal captured the award on Dec. 19, 2004. Golden State guard Baron Davis was selected the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week.

Wade, who previously earned the honors on Feb. 22, 2004 and Nov. 7, 2004, averaged 25.6 points, 6.8 assists, 6.5 rebounds, 2.75 steals, 0.75 blocks and 35 minutes last week in leading the HEAT to a 3-1 record. Additionally, he connected on 46.8 percent (37-79) of his field goal attempts and 79.2 percent (38-48) of his free throw attempts. He led the HEAT in scoring in three of the four contests, including a pair of 30-point efforts. He matched his season-high with 33 points against New York on Nov. 28 as Miami cruised to a 107-94 victory. In that contest he hit a HEAT season-high 15 free throws and scored 23 points in the opening half, a HEAT high for a half this season. He also finished with 32 points in Miami’s 101-99 loss at Denver on Dec. 3. Against Atlanta on Nov. 30 he moved into 10th place on the HEAT’s all-time field goals made list, surpassing P.J. Brown (1,129) en route to a 20-point outing. In that contest he also registered five steals to tie the HEAT high this season, which he set against Dallas on Nov. 25. Two nights later at Sacramento he finished with 27 points, seven assists and five rebounds in Miami’s 98-87 victory.

Through the first 17 games of the season, Wade leads the HEAT in scoring average (25.6 ppg), points (436), field goals made (153) and attempted (340), free throws made (128) and attempted (172), assists (116), steals (37) and minutes played (648). He ranks third in the NBA in steals per game (2.18 spg), sixth in scoring average, tied for 12th in assists per game (6.8 apg) and 23rd in minutes per game (38.1 mpg).