Dwyane Wade Unearths Iconic Dance From Big 3 Heat Days, Claims LeBron James-Led Team Had Most Aura

Joseph Galizia | 20/05/2025
OKLAHOMA CITY, June 12, 2012 -- Miami Heat s Dwyane Wade (R) and his teammate LeBron James react during Game 1 against Oklahoma City Thunder

Few teams in NBA history have boasted a better trio than the 2012–13 Miami Heat, with “The Big Three” — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh — all at the peak of their powers. On top of that, they had elite role players in their ranks, including Ray Allen, Chris “Birdman” Andersen, and Mike Miller.

That Heat team featured excellent on-court chemistry, largely thanks to the bond they shared off the court. One particular moment that cemented the 2013 unit’s camaraderie was their participation in the viral Harlem Shake challenge, which was all the rage at the time. A famous video also showed the Heat stars dancing their socks off.

LeBron, Wade, and Bosh all donned outlandish costumes that made the video even more legendary. James wore a crown, Wade sported a Kanye West Graduation bear head, and one of the players even dressed up as a Super Mario Brother.

That video has now resurfaced online and caught Wade’s attention. The three-time champ shared a post from HardRockBet on his Instagram stories, clearly agreeing with the video’s title: “No Team Had More Aura Than The Miami Heat Big 3.”

Any guesses whose idea it was to shoot the Harlem Shake video?

Well, it was Wade and James, of course. The official Miami Heat YouTube channel released a behind-the-scenes video of the challenge back in 2020, revealing who the masterminds were. “When those two guys say we’re gonna do it, we’re gonna do it,” said retired star Shane Battier in the video.

The off-court fun the 2013 Heat roster had ultimately translated into a spectacular NBA championship win.

The battle-hardened squad faced off against the San Antonio Spurs and nearly lost the series at home during Game 6. Thankfully, a lucky rebound and a Ray Allen three-pointer at the end helped them win 103-100 and force a Game 7, which Miami also won, 95-88. It was Miami’s second consecutive title.

However, the Spurs got their revenge one year later in the 2014 Finals, putting an end to the famed Big Three chapter in basketball history.

While many hailed the squad as a Super Team, they were not stacked any more than other top teams in the league. And HardRockBet was right — not many NBA teams had that magical aura that brought fans to the arena like this Heat team. Some say they wish it never happened, but many are just grateful they got to experience it.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Chris Bosh Dwyane Wade LeBron James

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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