Future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade talks about LeBron James leaving Miami Heat to go back to Cleveland and how they might not have won more if he stayed.
Being a part of one of the best teams in the NBA to start the 2010s, should have brought immense excitement for one of the best trios ever formed in the game of basketball.
But the hate and criticism that the Miami Heat team faced after LeBron James joined the team from Cleveland Cavaliers in the free agency, just gave them tremendous pressure to deliver.
Although LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh led Heat still made it to the Finals in their first year they lost it to the Dallas Mavericks in 6-games.
But they’ll go on to make 3 more Finals appearances in the next three seasons, winning two of them. So, the big-3 did actually make it big, making 4 consecutive NBA Finals, winning half of them. Still, LeBron James decided to leave in his 2014 free agency to again join his hometown franchise.
King James leaving D.Wade and Bosh after a Finals’ loss raised some eyebrows among fans and media on why would he leave the pair in their primes and join an unproven team? Dwyane has an answer to that.
Dwyane Wade opens up on LeBron James leaving for Cleveland Cavaliers
A 3-time NBA champion and one of NBA’s top-75 players of all time, Dwyane Wade recently joined former Indiana Pacers forward and ESPN analyst Jalen Rose on “Jalen Rose: Renaissance Man podcast”. He talked about how he was past his best form after the 2013-14 season.
“I wasn’t in my prime anymore, and so that would have made it hard for us to really win if I was still going to be a big part of it. Chris Bosh, you know, not knowing what he was going to be dealing with later. He was in his prime,” Wade said.
Chris Bosh would later come to know that he will have to prematurely retire from the NBA to take care of his blood clotting condition.
Wade continued, “and LeBron was in his(prime), but I wasn’t in mine anymore. And it would have made it tough to keep going … my body was going through so much, so I felt like it ended when it should have, Jalen. I felt like we had an amazing run, and we had an amazing college experience. And I felt like that four years was all we needed, and we accomplished, you know, obviously what we accomplished, but I think it was enough.”
LeBron James did alright to move on to his next challenge as Dwyane Wade would never be his usual self after that season constantly troubled with injuries.
Both Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have retired from the NBA. With the latter already enshrined in the basketball Hall of Fame, Wade is also in line for the honor.
James, however, extended his legacy after taking his talents back to the Cavs in 2014. He reached four more consecutive Finals and won Cleveland their first-ever title in 2016. He still is doing great in his 19th season in the league, wearing the famous Purple and Gold, looking for his second title with the Lakers in four years.
