- Dwyane Wade revealed he recruited LeBron James to the Miami Heat following Kobe Bryant’s 2010 championship
- Wade called James right after Bryant won Game 7
- Wade and James won championships together in 2012 and 2013
Many fans know LeBron James and his famous “decision” that led to him joining the Miami Heat in 2010. The superstar ultimately won two championships in 2012 and 2013, winning the Finals MVP award during both the Heat’s runs.
Part of the reason that LeBron James joined the Miami Heat was due to Dwyane Wade recruiting him. It seems as though Wade played a huge role in recruiting James to the squad, and he admitted that he called James right after Kobe Bryant won his 2010 championship.
“As soon as Kobe ran and grabbed that ball I was like, “LeBron, so what you gonna do”. That was our summer free agency. They were dominating. Kobe was winning all these rings. I was like, “Hold on, now he got five and we got 1? Like no”. That changed the league.”
Dwyane Wade says he called LeBron James after Kobe won ring #5
"LeBron, so what you gonna do?"
"Kobe winning all these rings, now he got 5.."
(h/t @clickthatfollow )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 25, 2023
There is no doubt that the Kobe Bryant-Pau Gasol Lakers were an elite squad. The team won championships in 2009 and 2010 but fell short in 2011 and 2012. They then made trades to acquire Steve Nash and Dwight Howard for the 2012-13 season, but despite the talent, the team never clicked. It is easy to see why Dwyane Wade decided to recruit LeBron James to beat them in 2010 free agency, but the two teams never ended up facing off in the NBA Finals.
Andre Iguodala Believes LeBron James And The Heat Revolutionized Basketball
The Miami Heat of the 2010s were one of the best teams of their era and for a good reason. Andre Iguodala once explained how LeBron James and the Miami Heat revolutionized basketball, pointing out that they were one of the first teams that ran small-ball basketball.
“When he played and they lost to Dallas, they made subtle tweaks where Chris Bosh would be at the 5. It didn’t look small because LeBron is a big human being with the rock a lot. They tweaked it against San Antonio and that’s when you started seeing smaller basketball. They went to the finals 4 times in a row, and then after them it, it was us.”
There is no doubt that a lot more teams in the modern era implement small-ball, as well as pace and space tactics. However, it is fair to say that the Miami Heat were ahead of their time, and it’d definitely be interesting to see how the 2012 and 2013 Heat would fare in today’s game.
Dwyane Wade And LeBron James Are One Of The Best Duos of All Time
Though they only won two championships together, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are widely considered one of the most talented duos to play the game. Both players were elite slashers and scorers, and the duo complemented one another very well. Wade was willing to take a backseat on the squad so James could ascend, and their chemistry was absolutely insane.
It is wild to think about how Dwyane Wade and LeBron James came together as a result of Kobe Bryant winning the 2010 championship. Now, both players are considered iconic figures in the league, and for good reason.
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