Kobe Bryant signed a two-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers in November 2013, which kicked in the following year and lasted till his retirement in 2016. In his final season with the Lakers, Bryant made $25,000,000 while trying to drain every last drop of greatness inside him to cement his legacy as an all-time great. During a post-game interview that season, Wade suddenly barged into the room during Kobe’s presser and interrupted his session to rush him for dinner, which they had already planned out.
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Kobe and Wade had a storied relationship both on and off the court. In the 2012 All-Star Game, D-Wade tried to defend Bryant from behind and eventually ended up breaking the latter’s nose. However, Kobe was seen laughing on camera. Wade recalled that he called Kobe to apologize. However, the Lakers superstar replied that he loved it and that he was going to see him three games after the All-Star break.
Dwyane Wade hilariously crashes Kobe Bryant’s interview and rushes him for dinner
After a Heat-Lakers game, Bryant was sitting in the presser, speaking to the media. Meanwhile, Wade barged in the room and took over the entire conversation, “We gotta go. We got some business to talk about.” Kobe seemed elated by the three-time NBA Champion’s arrival. His face lit up with a bright smile as D-Wade rambled on.
After Wade left, Kobe heaped praise on the Heat player, calling him mean and competitive. He also added that the Flash was one of the hardest players he had to guard because he would suddenly disappear during the play. This is what Kobe said;
“I love him. He was a vicious competitor. He’s vicious, he’s mean. We could have those type of battles then afterwards hang out, have a conversation, lace ’em up, and go right back at it. I enjoyed competing against him. The hardest player I had to guard in screen and roll. He’d come off a screen and disappear.”
The 2000s saw the dominance of Kobe on the biggest stage, but it also witnessed the rise of other powers in the league. One of those powers was the 2006 NBA Finals MVP.
Stan Van Gundy once said Wade was the best clutch shot maker he had ever seen
On the Knuckleheads podcast with former NBA players Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson, Stan Van Gundy made a shocking revelation. The former coach and commentator said that Wade was the best clutch-shot player he had ever seen.
“I always said and I would argue this with anybody, I know people will have other guys…He’s[Wade] the best end-of-the-game, last-shot guy I’ve ever seen. I know I’m biased. But here’s the thing with D Wade too. Not only did he shoot at a high percentage in those situations, like if it’s tie game he’s getting the last shot, you ain’t getting one back…”
Statistically, Wade is 42% from the field in crunch time. That is not a bad number for making game-ending or game-saving shots. However, Gundy was Miami’s head coach for the Heat between 2003-2005, which might have given the three-time champion an edge in his eyes.
