Dwyane Wade hasn’t yet experienced what Paul Pierce did Sunday in his final game in Boston since Wade, unlike Pierce, isn’t retiring after this season.

But Wade didn’t need Sunday, nor his appreciation for Pierce, to understand the difficulty of being a one-franchise player. Kobe Bryant got there with the Lakers. So did Tim Duncan with the Spurs from the recently retired crew.

That neither Wade nor Pierce did can’t take away their magic moments and associations with the cities of Miami and Boston, respectively.

"Paul played there for 15 years," Wade said after practice at Golden 1 Center. "A lot of down years, some up years, he was there through it all. Unfortunately, he couldn’t finish his career there. I think he said it: It’s always going to feel different going back.

"For me, going back to Miami, when you go back on the other side of the locker room, it’s always going to feel weird and feel different because you spent so much time in one place. But from a city standpoint, it’s familiar. You feel the impact that obviously you made in the city with him winning a championship in Boston and me winning a few championships in Miami. That’s always going to be there."

Wade scored 13 points on 5-for-17 shooting with seven rebounds in the Bulls’ lone trip to Miami, a 98-95 victory on Nov. 10.

Pierce created a lasting memory of his own when he buried a 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the Clippers’ loss to the Celtics on Sunday. Wade’s respect for Pierce was palpable when he shared an anecdote from his rookie season, which marked Pierce’s sixth season with the Celtics.

"The summer before my rookie year, we all played at Tim Grover’s gym in Chicago and it was very competitive," Wade said. "And we were all just talking smack and Paul had a moment in the gym when he went Paul on us and he just said, ‘Wait until the season.’ We played Boston the second game of the year. It was a back-to-back. I’m coming off a hip-pointer in Game 1 and I decided I don’t want to take it off. This is my second game in the NBA. And I’ve got to guard Paul Pierce with a hip-pointer.

"Needless to say, he tore me alive and talked to me every point that he had. I think I had five points. And he probably had high 20s. For me, that was a ‘shut your mouth and just work’ moment."

Photos of Dwyane Wade, who signed with the Bulls after a 13-year run with the Heat.

Wade’s recall proved uncanny. He indeed scored five points in the Celtics’ 98-75 victory over the Heat on Oct. 29, 2003, while Pierce netted 23.

Rajon Rondo is on his fourth NBA team now after spending his first 81/2 seasons on the Celtics with Pierce, including the 2008 NBA championship.

"He was my vet coming in, showed me what it takes to be a professional, how a future Hall of Famer works and how he leads every day," Rondo said. "The biggest thing I saw him do was sacrifice once the other guys came in. He still was the head guy, but he took a lot less shots. He was more of a vocal leader in the locker room. To see him switch roles just for the greater good of the team is why we were able to win a championship."

Winning championships form bonds that transcend changing teams and create appreciation and respect among all in the select club. Even the 3,000 miles separating the Bulls’ practice from Pierce’s final fling in Boston couldn’t deny that.

kcjohnson@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kcjhoop

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