There’s a lot going on in the NBA right now. The regular season is coming to an end, and teams are jockeying for position, in regard to both playoff seeding and the lottery. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic are waging an epic MVP battle. Somehow, though, one of the most popular topics of conversation in NBA circles right now is who is better: Dwyane Wade or James Harden?
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Normally, NBA fans can’t escape the tired old GOAT debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, so I guess we should be grateful that we’ve moved on to something else, at least for now. It’s still odd, though, how much oxygen this somewhat random comparison is getting.
Wade weighed in recently, although sort of indirectly, by comparing each NBA player’s greatness to hotel guests who have different levels of access. The best players of all-time can get to the 30th floor, while others who aren’t as accomplished can’t go that high. Your individual stats determine how high you rise, and, of course, those with rings reach the top.
Wade said on his TimeOut podcast that players like Bill Russell and Michael Jordan, with their 17 NBA titles between them, can get to the 30th floor. As a three-time champion, he put himself on the 25th floor in that analogy, though he made it clear that this was only in regard to winning, not individual brilliance.
“If you have not won a ring, it doesn’t mean you’re not colder than someone that won a ring, you just don’t have access to go to the ring floors. Winning a ring is a whole different game than being a great player.”
Whether judged by team success or individual accolades, Dwyane Wade is one of the best to ever do it
This may come as a shock to NBA fans, but Stephen A. Smith went on First Take yesterday and missed Wade’s point entirely. Wade was just talking about team success, which is why he put himself, with three rings, a few floors below Russell and Jordan, who have 11 and 6, respectively. That seems pretty fair.
Stephen A. urged Wade not to sell himself short, because he believes that the former Heat superstar belongs on the 30th floor as well for his three titles and the way he helped LeBron tap into his true greatness. “My brother, I’m getting sick and tired of you diminishing who the hell you are,” Stephen A. admonished.
In a world where many players overestimate their own place in the hierarchy of the all-time greats, it’s refreshing that Wade, a true great by any measure, has the humility not to equate himself with Russell and MJ. It’s not diminishing his own legacy or greatness; it’s being realistic.
Wade himself took to Instagram in response to Stephen A.’s rant, and he left no doubt that he knows his own worth as a player. “I stick firm to what I said. It’s not diminishing who I am. Trust me, I’m a bad mother******. I know that.”
He continued, “In this game, we all don’t have the same access card, because all of our careers are different. And so it’s certain rooms that I have access to, and certain rooms that I do not.” He gave the regular season MVP as a room he can’t get in because it’s an award he hasn’t won.
Wade has proven himself to be a thoughtful person throughout his career, and that’s only been reinforced in his post-playing days. Where he stands relative to Harden is its own conversation, but for now, let’s just celebrate the fact that we have someone that can speak objectively and eloquently about the game.
