The early 2010s Miami Heat was easily one of the most talented teams in NBA history. It was just completely unfair to pair LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh together on one team. Of course, James and Wade were the two biggest stars on the roster but everyone understood that the Heat was Wade’s team. That said, LeBron didn’t waste any time ensuring everyone understood that he was unlike any other player.
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LeBron’s decision to join the Heat had practically made them unbeatable, at least on paper. He was fresh off winning back-to-back MVP awards. At the young age of 24, his potential seemed limitless. Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley knew that would only lead to good things for the team.
But no matter how much star power the team had, it wasn’t as simple as plug-and-play. Incorporating stars of such magnitude as James and Bosh isn’t an easy task. LeBron wasn’t in a position to take a back seat, which he made clear in the team’s practices.
Former NBA player Norris Cole was a member of the Heat during James’ tenure. He witnessed firsthand one of the most heated moments between James and his now close friend Dwyane Wade.
“It was one practice, him and D-Wade got to going at it,” Cole said on the Club 520 Podcast. “Them two was basically playing 1-on-1 in practice with just four other cats out there.”
Norris Cole shares story of LeBron going at Dwyane Wade one practice and saying to Pat Riley ‘I know D Wade yall boy but I’m different’
“It was one practice him and D Wade got to going at it. Them two was basically playing 1 on 1 in practice with just 4 other cats out there.… https://t.co/JPd5XVZpSc pic.twitter.com/rMAKD9nowG
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) February 15, 2026
James and Wade know how to separate themselves from basketball. However, once they were in between those lines, they became the ultimate competitors. This specific practice, the competitive energy between the two was at an all-time high. Their duel would’ve been must-watch television for the average fan. Unfortunately, there’s no footage, so Cole’s word will have to suffice.
It quickly became a consensus that this practice wasn’t going to go as originally planned. Cole revealed that it seemed LeBron had a special agenda.
“It was [LeBron] proving a point that he was different. D-Wade is different too, he’s an alien. He hit a couple, and it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s about to be one of them practices,'” Cole said.
All of a sudden, the other eight players on the court became completely irrelevant. James and Wade were having a one-on-one matchup masked in a five-on-five scrimmage. However, the type of shots that they were making weren’t easy by any means, especially the ones James was making, which Cole remembers quite vividly.
“He starts shooting shots like wrong leg left hand hooks layups. Starts doing almost MJ layups, not looking. Then he’d run down and look at Pat Riley like, ‘I know it’s different. I know D-Wade is y’all boy, but I know it’s different,'” Cole proclaimed.
If James’ performance in that practice wasn’t enough evidence that he was different, his play on the court did the trick. James would go on to win two more consecutive MVPs as a member of the Heat. Most importantly, he led the franchise to back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
LeBron would only play in Miami for four seasons, but accomplished what very few can do in their entire career. Cole’s story is just one of the testaments to James’ true greatness.
