There are only a few who would argue against Dwyane Wade being the greatest Miami Heat player of all time. The 6-ft 4-in shooting guard was a major contributor in all 3 championships won by the franchise. After LeBron James’ arrival in Miami, everyone expected the Heat to win every year, but it was never easy for any super team. But James, Chris Bosh, and D-Wade did win back-to-back titles in 2013. Following that, the 3x NBA champ received a special nickname.
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Fans often forget that Wade won a championship in Miami before James arrived there in 2010. It was his 3rd year in the league when The Flash, alongside Shaquille O’Neal, led the Heat to its first-ever championship in 2006 and also won the Finals MVP. That might be the reason why James and Bosh, who were drafted into the NBA before D-Wade, thought he would be the ideal man to guide them to their first championship.
Dwyane Wade reminisces about the 2013 Championship and “The Three” nickname
In one of his Instagram stories, the Heat legend Dwyane Wade shared a clip of his squad celebrating the 2013 Championship, following which he also got a nickname for a few weeks.
The following Tweet by Stephen B. Smith shows Wade’s story and in its caption, you can see the “Three” nickname, that ran the rounds of the internet after the All-NBA guard won his 3rd ring.
Dwyane Wade the III pic.twitter.com/zlewzeLpu4
— Stephen B. Smith (@TMWSTW30X) June 16, 2023
You can also watch the clip Wade shared in the following embed.
View this post on Instagram
Three could be for his jersey number. Or it might be for him being the 3rd greatest two-guard behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant or perhaps the fact that he won his first ring, and only Finals MVP in his 3rd year. Any which way, number 3 played a significant role in Wade’s career, and it hangs in the rafters in Miami.
The Heat has yet to win a championship in the post-Wade era
Since the “Heatles” won two championships in four Finals appearances between 2011 and 2014, the Miami Heat has not won it again.
They have been able to reach two of the last four NBA Finals, led by Jimmy Butler, to whom Dwyane Wade gave the keys to the franchise when he retired in 2019. However, they still lack the depth and the star power to defeat a championship-caliber team.
Let’s hope they do get some help for Butler before DWade’s successor calls it a day.
