If you grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, then Michael Jordan was one of the most inspirational people in the world. For Dwyane Wade, a kid growing up in Chicago with dreams of becoming a hoop star, MJ was his hero. Wade even went on to become a shooting guard, and some consider him the third-best at the position in NBA history, behind Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Advertisement
As a Chicago sports fan in the 1990s, Wade was a witness to one of the most iconic stretches of success any team has ever experienced, with the Bulls winning six titles in eight years. The last of those six titles came on one of the most iconic shots in NBA history: the game-winning jumper Jordan hit against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals.
Wade was a guest on Jesser’s YouTube video, where the two recreated historic shots from the NBA’s past days. Wade selected Jordan’s Game 6 winner and immediately said, “Oh yeah. This one of my favorite shots of all time.”
The Bulls were down 1 with 12 seconds to go. Jordan had to make the shot, or the Jazz would’ve forced a Game 7, which would’ve been a first in MJ’s iconic Finals career. He then proceeded to cross up Byron Russell, causing the defender to fall down, giving him the separation he needed to make the winner, with 5.2 seconds to go.
Wade, a Chicago man down to his core, laughed and said, “Let’s go! I’ve been practicing this my whole life.” The Flash has a lot of love for Jordan, and his proclamation two years ago just goes to prove it. When asked who the GOAT was between his childhood hero and his former teammate LeBron James, Wade provided his answer, favoring the Bulls legend.
“I come from a Jordan era. I am biased, and I’m going to be biased until the day I pass away. Michael Jordan will be my GOAT,” Wade said. “I’m not taking anything away from LeBron. LeBron is amazing. But Michael Jordan is my GOAT.”
“For me, from Chicago, where I grew up, I made it out of the hood because I seen a dude, No. 23, play the game of basketball at a level that I was like, ‘I just want to do some of that.'” It’s clear that Wade credits Jordan for his own Hall of Fame career, and if not for his injuries in the late 2000s, we could’ve seen the Heat legend make a GOAT case of his own.
This was straight from the horse’s mouth. Last year, while appearing on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast, Wade said that if he hadn’t faced injury troubles, he would be a lot more appreciated as a player.
The Miami Heat legend claimed, “I’m not the greatest shooter of all time, but I was great at so many things. So nobody knows how to break down my game,” resulting in many overlooking his real talent. Speaking of his promising career, he added, “When I had it, I had it. Before injuries, I thought, MJ, I am coming for you.”
Just think about it. Wade won a title as the Finals MVP in his third season. He clinched the NBA’s scoring title in the 2008-09 season, averaging 30.2 points per game. Legends like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were in their prime at the time, and Wade was still a more prolific scorer. His case for the GOAT may have been a lot different if he hadn’t battled injuries throughout his career, and the stats certainly prove it.
