In his prime, there weren’t many players better than Dwyane Wade. Wade’s prime arguably started in the 2005-06 season when he led the Miami Heat to an NBA Championship.
The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the 2006 NBA Finals. Speaking of Dwyane Wade that season, then-Heat head coach Pat Riley believes he had more impact on winning in his prime than the great Kobe Bryant.
“The best player in the world,” Riley said of Wade’s stretch from 2005 to 2009, per Bleacher Report. “Dwyane was better than Kobe at that time. He had a better year by having the impact on winning—in the Finals, in the biggest moments, on the biggest stage. And you get that moniker.”
Wade averaged 34.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 3.8 APG in the 2006 NBA Finals. He won the NBA Finals MVP at just 24 years old and became the first member of the decorated 2003 NBA draft class to win it all.
D-Wade would go on to win two more NBA Championships in his career in 2012 and 2013, but he was no longer the first option on the team as LeBron James was the primary superstar.
Dwyane Wade Could Have Been In The GOAT Debate
For a four-year stretch of 2005 to 2009, Dwyane Wade averaged 27.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 7.1 APG. He was regarded as one of the best players in the league and was a problem for most defenses on any given night.
However, things started falling apart for Wade in 2007 when he suffered a shoulder injury. He also experienced pain in his left knee. Wade’s injury trouble wouldn’t go away in 2008 either as he experienced pain in the same knee. During those two seasons, Wade played 51 games each year.
Wade believes if he was never injured, he could have been a part of the GOAT debate. The Miami Heat legend had a phenomenal 2008-09 season, leading the league in scoring with 30.2 PPG while playing 79 games. Many believe Wade was robbed of winning the regular season MVP award that season.
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