Gabrielle Union-Wade firmly believes LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh joining forces was good for the NBA
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In the summer of 2010, the Miami Heat shook the entire NBA world. Not only did they manage to re-sign Dwyane Wade and add Chris Bosh to the mix, but they also managed to get the hottest free agent on the market: LeBron James.
LBJ had played seven seasons in Cleveland and hadn’t found the key to succeeding yet. He had made it to the NBA Finals once in 2007, but got swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Together, the three stars took a paycut of nearly $15 million each over the term of their contract to team up and win together.
This move, however, was criticized by almost everyone in and around the NBA. Gabrielle Union-Wade was on ‘The Old Man and the Three’ with JJ Redick in October 2021, where she talked about the same. Gab claimed the Heatles weren’t the NBA’s first super team and defended her husband and the other two.
Gabrielle Union-Wade claims the Heatles made the NBA ‘sexy again’
The Heatles, together in their four years, won two NBA Championships. Two in four years is a big deal, but considering their firepower, many people criticize them for not going four for four. Talking about the Heat Big 3, Gabrielle Union-Wade said,
“As a sports fan: I loved it. I’m not one of those old school purists who was like, ‘I suffered. I never won s*** because I couldn’t f***ing move due to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Rah, f*** you.’ Yeah, I’m not that. As a fan of all of these powerful Black men figuring this out on their own and turning the NBA on its f***ing head, I was here for that f***ing flex move.”
Union started dating Dwyane Wade around 2009, and was there for the entire formation process of the Heatles. She saw them pair up, and win together. Even though it was an unorthodox method of winning, the Heatles did liberate the players. It led to a whole new movement of player empowerment.
