Recently, it was revealed that Dwyane Wade is one of the candidates for the Class of 2023 Hall of Fame. The Miami Heat great is unquestionably a certainty for the First Ballot Hall of Fame and was one of the best shooting guards to ever play the game.
The Miami Heat’s three NBA titles were made possible in large part because of the Wade County Sheriff. The first of the three, which took place in 2006, served as Wade’s introduction to the league. Yet, his second and third likely infuriated the rest of the league.
Following the combination of the “Heatles,” Wade and the Heat won their second and third NBA titles. LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, three of the league’s top players and members of the renowned Class of 2003, came together to form an amazing superteam.
Two championships and four straight visits to the NBA Finals came after that. Wade, meanwhile, didn’t attach the same significance to the 2012 and 2013 rings as James and Bosh did. Before he had his famous crew, Flash had already claimed his first ring. Wade and the others had collaborated to win, as King James himself correctly noted.
LeBron James said he wouldn’t have won at the highest level without Dwyane Wade.
King James is one of the best players in basketball history, if not the best. And maybe there is no greater honor for Wade than to have such a legendary basketball player credit him greatly for his overall accomplishment.
Wade’s retirement was discussed after a meeting in 2018, and James was questioned about his Banana Boat friend. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer gave a heartfelt tribute to his longtime friend.
Without DWade, I personally would have had great success in this league. But I needed him if I was going to win at the highest level, which is what I really wanted to do in this league. And for that reason, I leaped. James said of Wade, “I appreciate what he accomplished for me going down to Miami more than I can describe in words.
Flash was undoubtedly more than LeBron’s average teammate. In a tribute to his then-retiring pal, James also shared how the 13-time All-Star helped him settle into life in Miami.
“I resided in Akron, Ohio, for 25 years of my life. I lived in Akron, Ohio, for 18 years—through high school and the first seven of my professional life. That is all I was aware of. For him to open up the franchise and the area for me and my family and make it so effortless once I moved down there with my family, just shows the kind of guy he is, according to James.
While “The Decision” was as contentious as the NBA got, the end result was unquestionably a fun basketball game for any impartial NBA fan.
The duo was set to join forces in 2010 regardless of whether it would be in Miami.
Miami may have enabled the union, but it could have also taken a different turn. Any team with cap space could theoretically make a bid for them because the stars had lined up perfectly for their free agency decision.
But ultimately, there were just three franchises left. The Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls, and the New York Knicks. It seemed like neither of them wanted anything to do with the NBA’s Western Conference.
The Bulls would have likely provided a more interesting story than the Heat. It would have been interesting to see LeBron wear Michael Jordan’s colors and Wade return to his hometown. Yet on trivia nights, it will always be a hypothetical situation.
