Shaquille O’Neal had won three consecutive championships during the prime of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. After seven seasons with the Lakeshow, Shaq moved on to the Eastern Conference with intentions to win a fourth championship with the Miami Heat in 2004. The Lakers’ three-peat run in the early 2000s saw the rise of arguably the NBA’s most lethal duo in history in the form of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Shaq and Kobe terrorized the league before their alliance broke apart due to internal rift. However, the big man soon realized he couldn’t be as hard on other stars in the league as he was on Kobe.
Advertisement
Shaq had taken the Heat’s young star, Dwyane Wade, under his wing after his move to Miami. Though he had been a leader in his previous teams, the veteran center decided to take a backseat for D-Wade and let the young star run the show. Shaq has written extensively about mentoring Dwyane Wade, while simultaneously allowing him to lead the team, in his 2011 autobiography, Shaq Uncut.
Shaq explained in this book how he chose to go easier on Wade compared to Kobe Bryant. This was because Wade wasn’t as rough and confrontational as a young Kobe, who would fight back and argue with Shaq all the time. As per the big fella, “You couldn’t be too hard on D-Wade. He wasn’t as tough as Kobe, wasn’t the type to fight back and challenge you.”
Furthermore, Shaq also had LeBron James under his tutelage when he moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2009-10 season. When it came to James, Shaq had zero complaints as he believed the King had already figured out his way in the league early on in his career. Even though LeBron wasn’t as tough as Kobe, Shaq thought he didn’t need to be.
In Shaq Uncut, the four-time NBA Champion revealed his level of toughness on his young teammates, saying, “I was a 10 with Kobe, a 4 with DWade, and a 1 with LeBron. I didn’t say anything to LeBron—didn’t have to. He had it figured out at a very young age.”
Surely, having the great Shaq as a mentor worked wonders for both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade early on in their careers. The duo teamed up in 2010 when the Miami Heat formed a Big 3 with Wade, James, and Chris Bosh in the league. Wade and James together won the 2012 and 2013 championships with the Heat, thus creating a legacy for the franchise.
However, Shaq’s remarks about Kobe’s toughness compared to other generational talents like Bron and D-Wade really speaks volumes about the Mamba’s character. Recently, legendary NBA defender Metta Standiford-Artest recounted how Kobe’s mental tenacity during games would force him to stay in the night before a Lakers game. The absence of such precautionary measures would prompt a 50-piece from the Mamba.
Shaq’s methods helped Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat win their first championship
Shaquille O’Neal’s arrival in Miami was indeed like a blessing for the Heat franchise. After putting up an MVP-level performance in his first season, Shaq helped the Heat reach the NBA Finals in his second season with the franchise, during the 2005-06 campaign.
Of course, the Heat’s young star Dwyane Wade led the way in this championship campaign, helping them win their first ever NBA championship in 2006. Wade was also selected as the Finals MVP after putting in a stunning 34.7 PPG performance against the Dallas Mavericks to clinch the series 4-2.
Wade has always been grateful to Shaq for elevating him to a level of superstardom early in his career. In a photo memoir, Dwayne Wade once wrote, “I caught Shaq at the right time in his career … and I was able to benefit a lot from of it.” Shaq arrived at South Beach not just for the weather but to win some silverware as well. And without having each other, Wade and O’Neal could not have achieved this level of success.
