Kobe Bryant idolized Michael Jordan, who was arguably the greatest clutch shooter in the league’s history. Therefore, Kobe has had his fair share of clutch shots. Dwyane Wade remembers a matchup against Kobe Bryant quite clearly, where he ended up being mad at Mario Chalmers for one of his mistakes that resulted in a wild bank shot game-winner from Kobe Bryant.
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The Instagram handle Entirely NBA recently uploaded a conversation between Dwyane Wade and Tony Parker, where D-Wade described the calamity unfurling during the game. Wade pointed out how Mario Chalmers was going down the screen to help instead of marking Derek Fisher, who soon hit a three without being defensively checked in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. The Lakers were closing in on the 5-point lead that the Miami Heat initially had.
Wade earned two free throws in the next play and missed one due to the moment’s intensity. The Heat superstar’s biggest fear was Kobe getting the ball in the next possession as he constantly suggested to his teammates, “Don’t let Kobe get the ball.” However, D-Wade’s worst fears became reality after Bryant got the ball within the game’s final few seconds.
Hitting an anxious Wade with a low juke and forcing him to make a false move, Kobe hit a bank shot over D-Wade just as the buzzer went off. Kobe’s final shot helped the Lakers win the game, bringing Wade’s worst nightmares to reality. The three-time NBA Champion blamed Chalmers for this lost game and told Tony Parker, “I was just mad at Mario for doing that dumb defensive thing. Kobe wouldn’t have made that shot if you did your job.”
During a later interaction with Kobe Bryant after the game, Wade revealed that he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry after that epic shot. The Lakers won 108-107 on the back of Kobe’s buzzer-beater. And Wade needed time to process what had just happened to him in a crucial game of the season.
Dwyane Wade broke Kobe Bryant’s nose during the 2012 All-Star game
The All-Star Game between the East and the West was intense for an exhibition game back in the day. During the 2011-12 season, the competition between the best talents in the East and the West exploded in the 2012 All-Star game. Being part of the Eastern Conference team, Wade had taken his assignment of guarding Kobe Bryant (playing for the West) seriously throughout the game. However, in that process, he hurt Kobe by breaking his nose.
Wade was extremely apologetic about this incident and wanted to convey the same to Kobe in person. However, the Mamba surprisingly felt no pain or discomfort from being injured. Instead, he shocked Wade by telling him that he loved the pain. Just three games after the All-Star game, Kobe decimated Wade’s Miami Heat in a matchup, showing his determinance and zeal playing through an injury.
