“Shaquille O’Neal was a greater teammate than LeBron James cause he made me somebody”: Dwyane Wade answers who was his greatest teammate of all-time

Miami Heat veteran Dwyane Wade answers who was his best teammate on the morning talk show, Live with Kelly and Ryan. The former Finals MVP picks Shaquille O’Neal over LeBron James.

Dwyane Wade will probably go down as one of the best shooting guards in NBA history. The superstar played with some of the best talents in the league, including Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James. Wade won championships with both of them.

D-Wade was a part of the iconic draft class of 2003. The very next year of his rookie season, Wade had Shaq join him in South Beach. The former Lakers player was coming off a dynasty playing alongside Kobe Bryant, winning three championships and Final MVPs.

Thus Wade had a seasoned teammate alongside him. The Lakers legend would play mentor to the young D-Wade with paying dividends very soon. In 2006, Big Diesel and Flash brought the city of Miami their first NBA championship. With Wade putting up one of the best Finals performances in NBA history.

Also read: “If you reach out for the moon, you’ll come out with a few stars”: Dwyane Wade on trying to model his game after Michael Jordan

Though Wade won two championships with LeBron, he learned the ropes from Shaq. Thus when asked to choose between the two, D-Wade chose O’Neal.

Dwyane Wade had an interesting answer when asked to choose between LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal.

In his first NBA championship, Wade torched a monster performance in the Finals. The thirteen-time All-Star averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.7 steals on a 46.8% shooting from the field. The superstar duo of Wade and O’Neal helped the Heat come back from an 0-2 deficit in the Finals.

In 2010, James arrived in Miami, joining forces with Wade and Chris Bosh as the Big 3. The Miami team instantly became the top contenders to win the chip. They would make four trips to the Finals, winning two of them. LBJ was back-to-back MVP.

Having won chips with both the superstars, Wade was asked to choose between the two, to which he replied.

“Shaq was a great teammate because I was young and nobody knew who I was. And Shaq grabbed me and was like, ‘Yo! Imma make you somebody.’ I was already somebody once LeBron came out.”

. @DwyaneWade answers the question of who was a better teammate: @SHAQ or @KingJames! pic.twitter.com/8tR3VAqLQx

— LIVEKellyRyan (@LiveKellyRyan) November 16, 2021

Wade played the role of a mentor to James, something Shaq had done for the former. Flash had given James the keys to his car, telling the kid from Akron to lead the team. Thus D-Wade was justified in his choice of choosing O’Neal over James.

Also read: “Erik Spoelstra almost did the Dwyane Wade table leap celebration”: Miami coach hilariously imitates the former legend by almost recreating D-Wade’s iconic celebration after the Heat-Wizards clash  

Nonetheless, the Heat legend shares a great rapport with both O’Neal and James. While he and James are often seen holidaying together, Wade is Shaq’s co-panelist on Turner Sports.