Dwyane Wade mum on future, Gabrielle Union hopes it's not the end

April 25 (UPI) -- Future Basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade thanks you for your concern, but he's going to worry about the "retirement question" later.

Wade said as much on Tuesday, after his Miami Heat squad was eliminated from the playoffs by the Philadelphia 76ers.

"That's not my focus," he told reporters, following Miami's 104-91 loss in Game 5 of the first round Eastern Conference playoff series. "Fresh off this NBA season, my 15th year, I sit back and think about that. Then I dive and throw myself into my family. They're next on my bucket list, making sure I'm there for them. And when it comes to the basketball side of it, which is a long time away from now, then I'll think about that.

"I love Philly, but ain't gonna be no breaking news here in Philly. I'm sorry. I appreciate [the concern], but let me worry about that later."

Wade, 36, has played for the Heat in 13.5 of his 15 decorated NBA campaigns. He has made the All-Star team 12 times and been called a world champion three times during that tenure.

"Father Prime" netted 11 points and had five rebounds, five assists and a steal in Tuesday's loss. He averaged 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists while coming off the bench for the Heat in the 2018 NBA playoffs. He logged 25.4 minutes per game in the postseason, the fifth-most minutes for a Heat player.

"I hope this isn't the end, but my God ... @DwyaneWade has a career most people dream of," Wade's wife, Gabrielle Union, said on Twitter. "He is a damn legend. An icon. And he's cute. #HeatNation."

Wade returned to the Heat this season at the trade deadline, just before the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School rocked the South Florida community. He has held an active role in the healing process for those affected by the tragedy, by showing up at the school to surprise the students, hosting the family of a victim lost in the tragedy and speaking out for change.

Wade and Union donated $200,000 to the "March for Our Lives."

Last year, when Wade was a member of the Chicago Bulls, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called Wade a "friend" and said that he missed the superstar.

Spoelstra said he didn't "even want to go there" when asked about Wade's retirement on Tuesday.

"You're gonna make me emotional if we start to think about that or talk about that right now," Spoelstra said.

"I don't know going into the summer of my 15th year, turning 37 next year, there's a lot of variables that go into it," Wade told Fox Sports Florida. "You sit down and you make the best decision for you and your family."