Dwyane Wade’s incredible performance in the 2006 playoffs is the defining moment of his career. The third-year star led the Heat to a surprise title win, outperforming superstar teammate Shaquille O’Neal to win the Finals MVP. While the consensus was that center would be Miami’s main man, Dorrell Wright revealed the Hall of Famer had the foresight to hold Wade responsible for the franchise’s fortunes.
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The former Heat star appeared on Theo Pinson’s Run Your Race podcast and lauded the guard’s attitude. He spoke about O’Neal’s conversation with the young star that changed his perspective about his role on the team and by extension, the course of their campaign. He said,
“Being coachable. Not letting a guy like Shaq come in and be like, ‘This is my team big fella’. Always welcoming constructive criticism… I think that’s what helped D Wade shoot up to be the star he became and Hall of Famer. Because Shaq basically said ‘You’re my lil bro, I’m gonna take you under my wing. This is how you got to be a superstar.”
Despite narrowly missing out on the MVP award in 2005 and showcasing he was still among the best players in the NBA, O’Neal knew that without Wade stepping up and carrying the mantle, the team wouldn’t win the title. He made it clear to him in no uncertain terms when he was struggling personally and professionally in one of the biggest series of his career.
Shaq told Wade he had to carry the team
During an appearance on the Old Man and the Three podcast, host JJ Redick and the Hall of Famer spoke about the 2006 NBA Finals, where the center wasn’t playing as well as he usually did and the Heat fell behind 0-2 in the series. O’Neal revealed that at that moment, he told Wade it was his responsibility to carry Miami to a title win. He said,
“[I told Dwyane Wade], ‘Hey man, I’m getting f**king double-teamed. I’m going through a f**king divorce. I’m not playing good. What the f**k you gonna do? Don’t be looking for me. F**king go to work.”
O’Neal’s profanity-laden speech worked as intended. Over the next four games, Wade averaged 39.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 steals and led the Heat to four straight wins and their first championship.
