Dwyane Wade took us on a trip down memory lane to the iconic Miami Heat-Los Angeles Lakers Christmas Day clash from 2013. The two powerhouses produced an entertaining thriller that went down to the wire. Ahead of the 2023 Christmas Games, Wade took to Instagram to show off his two iconic lobs to LeBron for the same duel.
Advertisement
During the 2013 Christmas Day clash between the Lakers and the Heat, Bron and Wade did their best to entertain everyone. On two instances, D-Wade threw a lob to Bron, and the latter flushed it down majestically.
As seen in the video on the top half of the embed, during the fastbreak, Wade threw a no-look lob to James. Nick Young, who hoped to draw a charging foul, could do nothing as he had to move out of the way while LBJ dunked it down ferociously.
In the bottom half of the Instagram post by the NBA, during the dying minutes of the first half, the 6ft 4” guard tossed up yet another lob. This time, ‘The Flash’ threw it off the glass. Making no mistake, the King managed to dunk it with his left hand.
View this post on Instagram
Sharing this same post by NBA to his story, the three-time NBA champ displayed his excitement for the upcoming lot of Christmas Day Games.
“It’s that time of the year again.”
Wade shows off his and LeBron’s Christmas Day highlights pic.twitter.com/kvwobHwUmi
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) December 25, 2023
This year, there are 5 games scheduled on Christmas Day. And just like Wade, fans are also excited to witness some magical plays once again, as “It’s that time of the year again.”
In the 2013 game, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James co-led the Florida side to a 101-95 win against the Lakers, who were missing Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. Kobe missed the game after breaking a bone in his kneecap, whereas Nash was recovering from nerve damage in his back.
For Heat, the combo guard recorded 23 points and 7 assists, and James finished the contest with 19 points and 8 rebounds.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had incredible chemistry
Being best friends off the court helped LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to develop incredible chemistry on the hardwood. Their co-leadership, alongside Chris Bosh, helped the Miami Heat to reach the NBA Finals four consecutive times. During that 2010-2011 to 2013-2014 span, the Florida side won the championship twice.
The lobs to James displayed in Wade’s story were only a few memorable plays they shared as teammates. Among the numerous others, a play from the 2010-2011 season is regarded as the most iconic LBJ-Wade play.
During the Heat’s clash against the Milwaukee Bucks, Wade passed the ball to James and went on to celebrate even without ensuring that the latter finished the play. The photo of LBJ throwing down the dunk with Wade’s arms wide open is what makes this play so iconic.
Years later, while talking about the legendary photo, D-Wade revealed that he never actually saw Bron dunking the ball.
“You know I’d never seen the dunk, really? I looked away from the dunk. This was a typical fast break with LeBron and I. I’m gonna figure out a way to give him the ball. Whether I throw it in the air, whether I bounce it, whatever it is I’ve always figured out a way to get him the ball because I heard him trucking,” Wade said.
Part of the reason why this play is so incredible is because of the trust that Wade displayed in his teammate, celebrating without even the play concluding.
