NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal reveals Dwyane Wade being the reason behind him wanting to be traded to the Miami Heat.
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Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade had a successful but short stint with the Miami Heat. The Big Diesel was coming off a dynastic run with the LA Lakers and was excited to embark on his new journey with the Heat. At the time, a young D-Wade had just arrived at the scene.
Before arriving in Miami, the Diesel only tuned into Heat games to watch Alonzo Mourning, which would change when he saw Wade send Baron Davis and the Hornets home in the first round of the 2004 playoffs.
Shaq was so impressed with Wade that he compared him to his former teammates, Penny Hardaway and Kobe Bryant.
Shaq, who had severed his ties with Lakers teammate Kobe wanted to attain immediate success to prove a point to the Lakers Nation. Thus Wade was the perfect prospect for Shaq to mentor, who ironically played in the same position as Kobe.
Lakers legend O’Neal reveals how Wade’s game attracted him to chase a championship in Miami.
Shaquille O’Neal talks mentoring a young Dwyane Wade.
It won’t be wrong to say that Shaq taught D-Wade how to win on the big stage. Having 3-peated with the Lakers and been the Finals MVP each time, the Big Diesel had championship DNA, which he could impart to the Heat guard.
“Dwyane Wade reminds me of a superhero movie where a kid grows up, and he does all these weird things, and he does not know he has the power until he meets a powerful figure, and they tell him, ‘Hey, you just like me.'”
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It wasn’t until we saw D-Wade perform in the 2006 NBA Finals, which showed how Shaq had given the Heat guard the keys to the car. Etched as one of the greatest performances in Finals history, Wade coasted the Heat to their first-ever visit to the Promise Land.
Wade took over after being down 0-2 against Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks. The former scoring champion filled the stat sheet averaging 34.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, 2.7 SPG, and 1.0 BPG. D-Wade was undoubtedly crowned the Finals MVP.
Post their iconic career, Shaq and D-Wade are seen as panelists on TNT, continuing to entertain their fans.
