When discussing the greatest shooting guards of All-Time, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are always the two names to pop up first, and for good reason. They had amazing careers that deserve to be celebrated.
But as a 3x Champion who dominated the position, Dwyane Wade is a guy who gets overlooked way too often. In a recent conversation with Complex, the Miami Heat legend spoke about his legacy and explained why, in his mind, he finished his career without anything left to prove:
“I like to look at it like this: when it comes to the greats or the GOAT conversation, our minds are triggered to see just ‘one’ at these positions. We see one Michael Jordan, and that’s our GOAT because that’s the era we grew up in – but then you have Kobe Bryant at the same position that could very well be a GOAT in his own right, but he’s behind Michael Jordan in a lot of eyes – then you have the next guy, and the next guy, etc. It’s a long list of guys to talk about,” Wade said. “If I ever really cared about the praise of man, to get me through or make me feel good about my career, it never would’ve been what it was. History speaks for itself. I’m in history. You can’t mention basketball without mentioning me, you can’t talk about being a champion without mentioning me. I did my part and I let my resume speak for itself.”
As a 13x All-Star, 8x All-NBA player, 3x Champion, and 16-year NBA veteran, D-Wade is one of the most accomplished players the basketball world has ever seen. His explosiveness and scoring ability helped to elevate the Heat to prosperity even before the arrival of LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2011.
Today, his career is often remembered and treasured by fans, but not nearly revered as Bryant and Jordan have been. While he may not be quite on their level, his resume speaks for itself, and maybe it’s time we start treating him with the respect he deserves.
