“Dwyane Wade and LeBron James Danced Like Idiots”: Charles Barkley Once Went Off On The Heat’s Corny Championship Promises

Dwyane Wade managed the unthinkable in the summer of 2010 when he recruited not just All-Star forward, Chris Bosh, but also, 2x MVP LeBron James. The trio would make up seemingly one of the most destructive trios in the history of the NBA. Chaos amid the streets of Ohio ensued all while James was living lavish in South Beach. 

Of course, their ‘reign’ over the league was never truly a reign. they would win 2 championships out of 4 straight trips to the NBA Finals from 2011-14. After a disheartening 4-1 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals where Wade looked like a shell of himself, ‘The King’ returned home. 

However, taking it back from the summer of 2014 to the summer of 2010 once again, LeBron made quite a lot of promises to Heat fans that he most certainly could not keep. Charles Barkley didn’t approve of this in the slightest.

Also read: Ernie Johnson Once Threatened Throwing ‘Hot Coffee’ at 252 lbs Charles Barkley Over Prank Gone Wrong

Charles Barkley criticized Dwyane Wade and LeBron James for their Heat hype video 

Charles Barkley has never been one to mince his words. His 20+ year career in the NBA commentary world didn’t come from him always saying things that everybody wanted to hear. Regardless of the stature of certain NBA players, Chuck has always been as straight as an arrow and that’s what happened in regards to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. 

When talking with ESPN after the Heat had lost the NBA Finals to the Mavs in 2011, Barkley described Wade as being ‘whiny’. He would then call him and James ‘idiots’ for ‘dancing around’ on stage.

What Chuck is referring to here is the Miami Heat welcome party for both Bosh and LeBron, to introduce the new trio to Heat fans. In this, they would walk onto the stage while dancing and then have the former Cavaliers promise Miami 7 championships.

The Miami Heat did not win 7 championships 

As you might’ve guessed it, the Miami Heat didn’t win 7 championships, they didn’t get close. They didn’t make the NBA Finals 7 times let alone win it 7 times. A steep decline in Dwyane Wade’s physical health along with Chris Bosh having cardiovascular problems led to Miami’s downfall. 

LeBron James found himself in a similar scenario to what he was with the Cavaliers from 2003-2010. He was carrying a squad on his back to the promiseland yet again, only this time, he had big names who underperformed rather than role players who underperformed.

Also read: Charles Barkley, In A Dress, Hilariously ‘Rivaled’ Dennis Rodman’s Bizarre $10,000 Wedding Gown