During an interview with Kevin Garnett on TNT, Dwyane Wade reflected on his NBA career. The Heat veteran spoke about the first flagrant foul in All-Star history involving him and the late Kobe Bryant.
Advertisement
When we talk about the top shooting guards of all time, it is impossible not to mention Dwyane Wade. Many believe, Wade is right behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in the list. D-Wade has three NBA championships, Finals MVP, and a scoring title under his belt, to name a few.
Wade shared a very close relationship with the late Kobe Bryant. The two superstars had a no. of intense duels on the hardwood but had a lot of mutual respect. During his final season with the Heat, D-Wade sat down with Kevin Garnett in a one-on-one interview, discussing his Hall of Fame career.
The Big Ticket would ask Flash about the relationship he shared with the Black Mamba, to which the former would narrate an incident that took place in the 2012 All-Star weekend. During the All-Star game, Wade and Bryant got into a little bit of a tussle.
D-Wade became the first NBA player in All-Star history to have a flagrant foul, which resulted in Bryant breaking his nose. However, the Mamba would get his revenge in iconic fashion.
Dwyane Wade recalls speaking to Kobe Bryant after the 2012 All-Star break.
The 2012 All-Star was conducted, at the Amway Center, in Orlando. The West defeated the East 152-149, with Kevin Durant being named the All-Star MVP. However, the highlight of the game was Wade’s flagrant foul on Bryant. The Lakers legend suffered a nasal fracture as a result of D-Wade’s actions.
While talking about the incident with the Big Ticket, D-Wade said,
“I mean, me and Kobe we got into a little bit of a tussle during the All-Star. I ended up hitting him the wrong way and broke his nose.”
The play resulted in Wade receiving a flagrant foul, which was the first in All-Star history.
Garnett commented saying, “that was the first time. I had ever seen that.”
Wade continued,
“After the All-Star break, we got the Lakers about like three games after the break. He (Kobe) got the mask on. I intentionally didn’t do it, so I called him am like, Yo Kobe, and he was like, ‘I love it, I’ll see you in a couple of days.”’
The Lakers would host the Heat in a couple of days, with Wade being the no. one enemy at the Staples Center. The purple and gold team would defeat the Lakers, with Kobe torching a 33-point performance on 60.0% shooting from the field.
Though the Lakers won the game, the Heat would win the championship that year. Despite having several duels, the two legends remain great ambassadors of the game.
