(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-03-11 10:23

MIAMI - Four-times All-Star guard Dwyane Wade will miss the rest of the season because of a recurring knee injury, the Miami Heat said on Monday.

Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade gestures as he talks to reporters during a news conference in Miami, Monday, March 10, 2008. Heat coach Pat Riley announced Monday that Wade, the All-Star guard and 2006 NBA finals MVP, will sit out Miami's final 21 games after battling left knee pain throughout the season. [Agencies]

The 26-year-old is to undergo shockwave therapy, a non-surgical procedure, on his left knee later this week.

He will then be limited to passive exercise for a month before slowly returning to basketball-related activities, the Heat said in a statement.

Wade, one of the NBA's top guards, has appeared in 51 games for Miami this season, averaging a team-leading 24.5 points, 6.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds.

The fifth-year guard has career averages of 23.9 points, 6.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds.

Wade had surgery on the same knee in May but has since been bothered by tendinitis.

The Heat won the NBA title in 2006 but have the league's worst record this season at 11-50.