12 Years After Shaquille O’Neal Helped ‘Dwyane Wade Loosen Up,’ Heat Legend Recalls 7ft 1″ Teammate’s Perfect Prediction in 2004

In his 2012 book, Shaq Uncut, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal shared many details about his life and career. Some even included his time with the Miami Heat where he recalled how he helped the greatest Heat player of all time, Dwyane Wade loosen up and become a superstar. An interesting claim and one that D-Wade himself has now corroborated. Appearing in a video on NBA on TNT’s Instagram page, Flash spoke about Big Diesel’s impact on his career and how he predicted he would one day become a Hall of Famer.

The road to being enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has not been easy for Wade. Having spent 16 seasons in the league, his three championships, one Finals MVP, and multiple All-NBA, All-Star, and All-Defensive selections are what got him there. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of celebration, he remembered Shaq’s words.

Shaquille O’Neal told Dwyane Wade he would be a Hall of Famer when he first met him in 2004

Dwyane Wade is one of the newest members of the Hall of Fame. However, he knew he was destined for the spot long before the call actually came. As he explained in a recent video, his former teammate Shaquille O’Neal told him he would be a Hall of Famer. A prediction he made back when he joined Miami in 2004. Here is what he said.

“Shaq told me I was gonna be one of the greatest two-guards to ever play. Shaq told me I was gonna be sitting here as a Hall of Famer one day. I looked at him like, “Okay! If you say it, then Imma do it!”. Because I was just coming off my rookie season and so, the confidence that Big Fella gave me and also too, the protection that Big Fella gave me. Because no one was gonna mess with me with Udonis and Shaq on the court. Let’s keep it real!”

There can be no denying the impact Shaq had on a young Flash. After all, all these years later he still remembers what The Big Aristotle told him. But, that’s not all. 12 years prior, O’Neal went into further detail in his book Shaq Uncut. Here he discussed how he helped mold Wade into an NBA superstar, teaching him how to loosen up and become one of the best.

“That was my first job. As soon as I arrived I thought, I got to loosen this brother up. DWade was just so afraid to do something wrong. I told him, ‘Hey, man, you’ve got to realize who you are and the power you have and stop tiptoeing around here so timidly all the time, because with your talent any team in the league would want you. So keep that in the back of your head.'”

The pairing of Shaq and D-Wade truly was special. Over all else, the reason is that the former actually delivered on his promises. Not only was he the veteran presence Wade needed, but he also gave him his first taste of championship success.

Shaq helped D-Wade win the first of his three NBA Championships in 2006

Over the course of his career, Dwyane Wade won three NBA Championships. While all of them were equally memorable, his two with LeBron James are what first spring to mind when thinking about his championship success. However, Shaquille O’Neal was the one to help him win his first championship, helping him understand what it took to win it all.

Two years after joining the team, Shaq was pivotal in helping D-Wade lead the Miami Heat. He played an important role in securing both his and the franchise’s first championship.

They truly were a special duo. Even Wade would likely agree, that his career may not have reached the heights that it did if it weren’t for his “big brother”, Shaq.