Going by the results this decade, it is evident that building dynasties has become increasingly difficult for NBA teams. Six different champions were crowned over the past six seasons, proving that hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy is not as straightforward as Michael Jordan’s Bulls or Stephen Curry’s Warriors once made it seem.
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Winning requires an immense amount of work, always, along with a bit of luck. Dwayne Wade, however, thinks there’s more needed.
The three-time NBA champion offered a darker perspective on what it truly takes to win in the league, telling his podcast co-host, Bob, that the business side of the game often takes precedence over the integrity of the sport. Wade argued that there is a widespread misconception that every franchise is constantly chasing a championship.
Wade contended that some teams are content with their place in the pecking order. “Everybody ain’t in the business to win,” he said.
“That’s a misconception, first of all, about all things in life. Every NBA team ain’t trying to win a championship. It’s a business as well. Everybody is not in a position to win everything,” continued Wade.
“Everybody’s not going to win. Some people are okay with that. Some people are okay with being the 175th best golfer in the world because ‘this is where I’m going to be. And you know what? It’s gonna take too much of my life to be 170 or 150. I’m just going to be 175.’ Because you don’t want to do what it takes to actually win,” he added.
It was not all doom and gloom from Wade, though. He admitted that NBA players do dream of winning it all. But then, unless that ambition is shared by every single person within the organization, the goal will never be achieved.
“I’m not saying you haven’t dreamed of holding that trophy up because we all dream of holding that trophy up with the confetti coming down. Now, let’s do what it takes to actually do that. ‘Naw.’ You see that all the time, man. Every player on your team don’t want to win. That’s why a lot of teams can’t get to that common goal,” claimed Wade.
No team would ever admit to not chasing championship glory. But this reality becomes obvious when moves are made simply to shake up the business side of things.
Rich Paul recently praised Golden State for going out and getting Kevin Durant in 2016 after losing to LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Clearly, the franchise was not content with just being there. They wanted to win.
Wade feels this way about the current reigning champs, the Thunder. “When I watch OKC, they all want to win. That’s how they play,” he said.
“We’re going to do everything and anything that [the] coach said and what it takes to win. That’s why they play that way. That’s why you only got a few franchises that do consistently win. Not the one that pops up here and there, but consistently wins. Because they do what it takes to put themselves in position to actually win,” added Wade.
Once again, Flash nailed it on the head. The Thunder are not only wearing the crown but also look dominant enough so far to give a feeling that they will go all the way this time around. Sure, they may have just lost a nail-biter to the Spurs in the NBA Cup semifinals. But at 24-2, they still look like the team to beat across the league.
That is the real dividing line in today’s NBA. Talent is everywhere, but true buy-in is rare.
Wade’s point is that winning takes more than saying the right things in front of a microphone. The Thunder feel different because everyone is pulling in the same direction, from the front office down to the last man on the bench. Unsurprisingly, OKC continues to set the standard.
