Speaking on the ‘Underground Lodge’ podcast, Heat legend Dwyane Wade set the record straight on the series of events that forced LeBron James from the Heat. According to Wade, Pat Riley’s micromanagement was a major problem and he recalls what happened when Riley took LeBron’s favorite cookies from the plane.
“This was the first moment I had an inkling that LeBron may not be back,” said Wade. “One thing you don’t do is f**k with LeBron’s cookies. He loves chocolate chip cookies and ice cream. And so when LeBron walks on the plane with a bag of food, one bag is all cookies, one bag is what his chef has prepared for him to eat because he eats a certain way. So we get on the plane and we play cards at the front of the plane and at some point LeBron is like ‘Hey, bring me those cookies!’ And one day they had to come and whisper in his ear and tell him there weren’t any more cookies on the plane. That motherf**ker sat back away from the game, he pushed that card table back and sat back quietly… and he didn’t play cards no more.”
It might sound like some kind of joke at first, because surely LeBron James wouldn’t get that fired up over a bag of cookies. But Wade was serious as he was telling this story, and he went on to explain how Pat Riley denying LeBron of his mid-fight snack was an example of how his control went too far.
“It was too much micromanaging at that point. You’re talking about a team that went to four Finals in a row,” said Wade. “You don’t need to micromanage us, and I felt that Riles went a little too far with his micromanaging at points like that. He’s a grown man, you don’t take the cookies away from us. And this seems small but when I get on the plane, I want this because this is what gets me through. I gotta have my comforts on the way or I ain’t gonna be me. Riles takes all those comforts away when he’s hot.”
Since taking over as team president in 1995, Pat Riley has run the franchise with an iron fist. Riley, a former NBA player and coach, is as competitive as they come, and maintaining a championship culture is one of the things he values most as team President.
Since Dwyane Wade was drafted by the Heat, he got accustomed to life under Pat Riley and the culture he built in Miami. But that was not the case for LeBron James, who signed with the team in 2010 from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James’ decision that summer rocked the NBA world, and it resulted in an era of success and prosperity for the Heat (back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013). Unlike with other teams, however, LeBron did not have absolute authority and the Heat would frequently deny him his comforts when things got tough.
Ultimately, the micromanaging is one of the reasons why James left the Heat in 2014 and returned to the Cavaliers. At least with them, he didn’t have to be micromanaged under Pat Riley and he could freely make decisions on his health and diet without any fear of his food being taken away.
Ultimately, LeBron left the Heat and he never looked back. Dwyane Wade didn’t know for sure what would happen but he saw the signs that his partnership with James would not be forever.
As for the Heat, they are still under the guidance and leadership of Pat Riley. Even now, he’s doing everything he can to preserve and protect the culture he’s built there and while it may rub some stars the wrong way, the results speak for themselves as a franchise with six Finals appearances over the past 15 years.
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