Dwyane Wade won the NBA championship 3 times, had a Finals MVP to his name, and was an important piece on the legendary Redeem team. It’s safe to say that Wade is one of the greatest guards in the game’s history, a true superstar of the 2000s and the 2010s. He is also a legend for the Miami Heat, and the amazing thing is that he started dominating from a very young age.
Dwyane Wade was a part of the legendary 2003 NBA draft. Joining the Miami Heat, he turned their fortunes around quickly, leading the team to the playoffs. When Shaquille O’Neal joined the Miami Heat thanks to some Pat Riley magic, Wade took the help and led the team to an NBA championship in just his 3rd season in the league. And if that sounds super fast, that’s probably because it was. His ascent even caught Wade by surprise at times.
Dwyane Wade Got Picked Up 94 Feet By Kobe Bryant And That Helped Him Realize He’d Arrived
Even for the best NBA players, some moments help them realize when they’ve leaped to the next level. It can be respect from a legend, or a team planning around you, and for Wade, it was seemingly both. Kobe Bryant was the man in the NBA during the mid-2000s, and when he took Wade on as a defensive assignment, he knew this was it. He told Stephen Curry the story a few years ago (via Silver Screen and Roll).
“When I first got in the league, Steph, I couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean, like I couldn’t shoot, so everyone backed all the way to the rim. And then I remember the game when I first remember we were playing the Lakers, we was playing against Kobe, and I remember when Kobe first picked me up 94 feet.
“Because at first he would pick me up underneath the 3-point line, go under two screens, and let me shoot. So the moment where guys started picking me up 94 feet because they didn’t want me to touch the basketball, that’s the moment I was like, ‘oh okay, I got their respect now,’ you know what I’m saying.”
Dwyane Wade made the All-Star team in just his second season in the league, and then made 11 more in a row. He also won 3 rings and set a few records as a part of his celebrated career. And for Kobe Bryant, who would go on to inspire him, to be the man who made him realize just who he was is as poetic as it can get.
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