Miami Heat President made a bold claim regarding Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant in the aftermath of the 2006 NBA Championship
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In the NBA world, being the best current player is a very broad term, which can be open to a lot of interpretations. Some feel it is the best player on the team that won the championship recently. On the other hand, others feel that the best player is based solely on individual accolades and accomplishments.
Dwayne Wade, in 2006, led the Miami Heat to an NBA Championship. Entering the Finals, the Heat were considered the underdogs, even after having a rising star in D Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. On the other hand, Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs were considered the overwhelming favorites.
After the Mavs took a 2-0 lead, DWade flipped a metaphorical switch, and turned the series around. He scored 157 points over the next four games and got Miami the Larry O’Brien trophy. He also became the first out of the 2003 Draft class to get to the promised land.
Pat Riley believed Dwyane Wade was better than Kobe Bryant
When Shaquille O’Neal parted ways with the Lakers and moved to Miami, two things happened. One, the Lakers were no longer the top dog in the West. Kobe Bryant was trying to lead a team by himself for the first time. Two, Dwyane Wade was turning into a fine young player, and having Shaq as his second fiddle helped.
From 2004 to 2007, Kobe and the Lakers registered two playoff appearances, both being first round exits. On the other hand, Dwyane Wade led his team to the Champuionship once, the Eastern Conference Finals once, and a first round exit.
Pat Riley was in awe of his young talent, and made a bold statement back then. He claimed for those three years, The Flash was better and ahead of Kobe Bryant.
For about three years Wade was, in Riley’s view, “the best player in the world.”
“Dwyane was better than Kobe at that time,” Riley says. “He had a better year by having the impact on winning in the Finals, in the biggest moments, on the biggest stage. And you get that moniker.”
— DubNation(2022 NBA CHAMPIONS) (@dubs3000) September 27, 2022
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Well, performance-wise, their numbers arent too far off from each other. However, seeing how Wade led his team further, Riley may not be entirely wrong with this statement.
