Kendrick Perkins thinks Anthony Davis was LeBron James‘ best teammate, followed by Kyrie Irving, and then Dwyane Wade. In a recent interview with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson, Perkins spoke about AD and Kyrie being LeBron’s best teammates, stating that it was tough to choose between the two, but he had Davis slightly ahead of Kyrie.
“Ooh. AD in the bubble was putting up Shaq-type numbers. Damn. I want to say it’s AD. Then I want to say it’s Kyrie next. But man, to be down 3-1, pull off something that has never been done in NBA history. What Kyrie average in that damn series, man?… Yeah man, I mean, I would say better than D-Wade.”
Perkins then went on to question Wade’s role on the Heat as the number two option, suggesting that other players who were on those teams have said Chris Bosh was more important than Wade, and that has made him reconsider.
“Here’s the thing about D-Wade… I love D-Wade. The thing that’s throwing me off about D-Wade is when I’m hearing so many guys come out and start saying things like Chris Bosh was the most important player to their success as far as them winning the two championships. And now it comes back to me, was D-Wade the number two, or was Bosh really the number two?”
The former Celtics star then noted that while Wade proved himself with his 2006 NBA Finals MVP win, and was the central pillar of the Heat, there are some doubts as to whether Wade really stepped back in order to give LeBron the keys to the kingdom.
“He doesn’t really give a damn because D-Wade got his dub by himself with Shaq when he won Finals MVP but at the end of the day, it’s like – who was really that co-star to LeBron James? Who was that Robin at the time? Was it Bosh or was it Wade? I understand it was Wade County, but did Wade take a back seat back seat?”
Perkins closed his arguments by comparing the Heat to the 2008 Celtics, stating that Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were the clear one-and-two of the team, and Ray Allen slotted in behind them. Whereas he couldn’t make that same distinction clear between Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
“Even when we go back to looking at Paul, KG, and Ray, we knew it was Paul and KG, and then Ray kind of filled (in). But it was still the big three. At first, I was like ‘Bron and Wade’. But then when I started hearing UD talking about it and other guys who played… Damn, who really was the Robin? And it’s no shade at D-Wade whatsoever…”
Kendrick Perkins says Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving were LeBron James' best teammates, and he doesn’t know if Dwyane Wade was the second option on the Heat over Chris Bosh.
(🎥 @ScoopB )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 5, 2024
While one can try and understand what Perkins is trying to say, it doesn’t really make a lot of sense. From a championship standpoint, there is no doubt that Wade was his best teammate, as LeBron won more rings with Wade than he has with Davis or Irving.
Furthermore, Chris Bosh, despite being an incredible player, was never entrusted with the role of being the second option on the team while LeBron and Wade were healthy and available.
Was Kyrie Irving LeBron James’ Best Teammate?
Regardless of who you think LeBron James’ best teammate was, there is no denying that the one he was able to win his toughest championship with was Kyrie Irving. He and Irving were down 3-1 to the Warriors, and they played incredible basketball together to make a comeback and lead the Cavaliers to their first NBA championship.
Irving and LeBron had a pretty tumultuous relationship. In their final season playing together, the two seemingly had a falling out, which led to Kyrie being traded to the Celtics. It was recently reported that the two did not speak to each other for years after the move happened, such was the state of their relationship.
But it appears the two have put things behind them, and are good friends again. Recently, James called Irving the most gifted player in NBA history, showering him with praise ahead of the 2024 NBA Finals, where Irving has the chance to win his second NBA championship.
It would be the first NBA championship Irving would win without LeBron James if the Mavericks beat the Celtics. James will definitely be rooting for his former Cavaliers teammate in the NBA Finals.
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