In 2010, LeBron James shook the basketball world when he announced his future plans on ‘The Decision’. Deciding to join forces with his friend Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, LeBron surprised the NBA by forming a super team in Miami.
Advertisement
LBJ had played seven years in the NBA, won 2 NBA MVP honors, and had been in the Finals once. However, he couldn’t seem to find a way to the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy. That’s when he decided it was time for him to move on and go somewhere where he could win.
Bron, Wade, and Bosh, often called The Heatles, played for four seasons together, during which time they won two NBA Championships. LeBron won Finals MVP in both of those campaigns and also won 2x regular season MVPs during that time. He grew a lot as a player in South Beach and Wade tried to explain how.
Also Read: “George Gervin Taught Me So Much”: Magic Johnson Gushes Praise For San Antonio Spurs Legend
Dwyane Wade explains how LeBron James evolved with the Heat
Dwyane Wade and LeBron James were both drafted into the NBA in 2003. Starting off at the same time, both players quickly rose to stardom. They both played together in the 2004 Olympics squad and became great friends.
When they joined forces in 2010, Wade was already a 1x Champion. He was in a great team in Miami, with a great coach and Pat Riley looking over the team. On the other hand, LeBron came in as a hungry young player, eager to win.
During a Sports Illustrated interview, Wade was asked if LBJ evolved as a scorer in Miami. He replied and said,
“Yes. First of all, I mean, he was young. He did seven years in Cleveland. He came in as 18 years old, right, so he’s still so young. And he came to Miami right in that time where really you think LeBron has exceeded this. You think that’s the best time you’re going to get as a professional athlete from 25 to 29. Those are the prime years. And so we were lucky to get him in his prime years. But the thing about LeBron is he’s a sponge. And so he will not allow anybody to be better than him at anything.”
“If Ray Allen was going to shoot afterwards, he’s going to go shoot with Ray Allen, with Ray Allen’s form. He wants to be better than everybody at everything. And so I can never get work in a post without him coming to get work in a post. You know what I mean? And so when you see a guy like that who has the body to be able to do that, and he has the energy to be able to consistently do that, you know you’re watching something special. So yeah, we definitely had him in his prime and he listened to everything and soaked everything up that we had to offer and everything he brought with him.”
Is James the greatest scorer in the NBA?
As of now, LeBron James is 765 points away from taking down Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s leader on the All-Time Scoring list. He is expected to cross the mark during this season. Despite being this high on the list, LBJ doesn’t get his flowers as a scorer.
While many argue it’s because of his longevity, you have to admit that Bron knows how to score and take over the game as the team needs. While he may not be the greatest scorer, but he’ll retire as one of the greatest.
