A few months ago, Dwyane Wade made an appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast. The two former athletes spoke about a wide range of topics. However, at one point in the nearly 130-minute-long episode, the duo spoke about Wade’s iconic 2008-2009 season. Even though that was a historic campaign for the then-Miami Heat star, he eventually lost the MVP trophy to LeBron James. Had he won the MVP award instead of Bron, D-Wade believes that he would be in a different spot on the numerous all-time conversations.
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It was Kobe Bryant who led the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2009 Championship. However, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade completely dominated the regular season. D-Wade averaged 30.2 points, 7.5 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. Whereas, King James recorded 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.7 steals, while leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the league-best 66-16 record. While LBJ won the MVP award for the second time in his career, D-Wade didn’t even finish #2 on the final ballot.
Dwyane Wade believes that the 2008-2009 campaign was his MVP year
Dwyane Wade had a historic 2008-2009 campaign. Shannon Sharpe revealed that the Flash was the only player to record 2,000 points, 500 assists, 150 steals, and 100 blocks that season. According to D-Wade, that season was his MVP year. However, he is not too salty about the MVP snub. Confiding in the ESPN analyst, the Marquette alum stated that he understood why LeBron James was named as the recipient of the honor.
Sharpe: “Do you feel you should’ve won the MVP that season?”
Wade: “Of course. But I also understand why LeBron won it. I think they won 67 games and he averaged roughly the same. Like I understand it, but as an individual player, that was my MVP year.”
Shannon also touched upon the topic of all-time shooting guard rankings. According to him, Wade is widely regarded as the third-best SG in the history of the game, only behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. However, Wade couldn’t care less about the rankings.
“I don’t care. Until the next person come along, they gonna make me the 4th or the 5th. It doesn’t matter. Yes, if we talking in a barber shop or we talking about rankings, yeah, I want my name being mentioned with the greats. So if you tell me I’m third, I’m not first. So, I’m mad about that. But if you tell me I’m third, I can respect the top two that’s in front of me,” Wade explained.
Dwyane Wade Should’ve Won NBA MVP Over @KingJames in 2008-2009@DwyaneWade on his historic 08-09 season: “I understand why LeBron won it, but as an individual player, that was my MVP year.” pic.twitter.com/7w49guAsh4
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) September 23, 2023
As per the former NFL star, there could be no one who tops the likes of MJ and Kobe. However, the game is progressing at a rapid pace. With several youngsters already achieving the highest of the highs, it may not be long before any such rankings are disrupted.
Michael Jordan backed Wade to win the 2009 MVP trophy
The 2008-2009 MVP race was the hottest topic of discussion at the time. Several analysts and players weighed in on the debate. Michael Jordan, who often stays away from such conversations, felt the need to chime in.
His Airness has won a grand total of five MVPs in his career. He certainly knows the qualifications required for one to lift the prestigious honor. Backing Wade, the Chicago Bulls legend explained his reasoning.
“I tell you, Dwyane is a phenomenon. If he’s not talked (about) in terms of the MVP, then I think they really not giving it a fair assessment of the NBA I think.”
“No matter what you say about his team, you take him away from his team I’m pretty sure they would not be as successful. Whereas you take away LeBron and you take away Kobe, I’m pretty sure those teams will still be pretty competitive.”
Unfortunately, Wade was not rewarded with the coveted trophy for the best year of his career. However, he would go on to win two more titles playing alongside LeBron and Chris Bosh.
