- Dwyane Wade was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday
- Shaquille O’Neal predicted Wade would be a Hall of Famer back in 2004
- O’Neal also felt he would be one of the greatest two guards ever
Dwyane Wade had a fine rookie season with the Miami Heat in 2003-04 after being selected with the fifth pick of the 2003 NBA Draft. He helped the Heat get to the playoffs and the following season, the team acquired Shaquille O’Neal.
O’Neal had been quite impressed by what he’d seen from Wade, who averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game as a rookie. Wade revealed that the big man told him back then that he’d be a Hall of Famer and would go down as one of the best two guards ever.
“When Shaq got to Miami, immediately we talked about the relationships with Penny (Hardaway), the relationships with Kobe (Bryant), and what was not gonna happen with us,” Wade said. “Also, he was at a different place in his career and so he was pumping a lot of juice in me.
“Shaq told me I was gonna be one of the greatest two guards that ever played,” Wade continued. “Shaq told me I was gonna be sitting here as a Hall of Famer one day and I looked at him like ‘Okay, if you say it then I’mma do it’.”
https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1690405372874395648
Well, that prediction was spot on. It would have meant a lot to Wade to hear someone like O’Neal say that. Here was a former MVP and three-time champion telling him just how great he could be, and Wade certainly lived up to Shaq’s expectations.
Wade would end up with career averages of 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. He won three championships, a Finals MVP, and was a 13-time All-Star.
Shaquille O’Neal Wanted To Help Dwyane Wade Become A Superstar
It is clear that Wade has a ton of respect and admiration for O’Neal. Shaq may not have been the dominant force that he had been with the Los Angeles Lakers when he came to Miami, but his presence was still huge for Wade. The conversations that the two of them had and the wisdom that O’Neal imparted to him at a young age helped him become the iconic player he is today.
The 41-year-old revealed earlier this year that when O’Neal arrived, he wanted to help Wade become a superstar. Shaq told the youngster that the Heat were his team and that he was going to help him become one of the greatest ever. Wade certainly did end up becoming one of the greats, and O’Neal had a part to play in that.
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