Dwyane Wade Reveals Shaquille O’Neal Told Him He’d Be A Hall Of Famer After His Rookie Season

Shaquille O'Neal told Dwyane Wade back in 2004 that he'd be a Hall of Famer.

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Credit: Fadeaway World

  • Dwyane Wade was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday
  • Shaquille O’Neal predicted Wade would be a Hall of Famer back in 2004
  • O’Neal also felt he would be one of the greatest two guards ever

Dwyane Wade had a fine rookie season with the Miami Heat in 2003-04 after being selected with the fifth pick of the 2003 NBA Draft. He helped the Heat get to the playoffs and the following season, the team acquired Shaquille O’Neal.

O’Neal had been quite impressed by what he’d seen from Wade, who averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game as a rookie. Wade revealed that the big man told him back then that he’d be a Hall of Famer and would go down as one of the best two guards ever.

“When Shaq got to Miami, immediately we talked about the relationships with Penny (Hardaway), the relationships with Kobe (Bryant), and what was not gonna happen with us,” Wade said. “Also, he was at a different place in his career and so he was pumping a lot of juice in me.

“Shaq told me I was gonna be one of the greatest two guards that ever played,” Wade continued. “Shaq told me I was gonna be sitting here as a Hall of Famer one day and I looked at him like ‘Okay, if you say it then I’mma do it’.”

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1690405372874395648

Well, that prediction was spot on. It would have meant a lot to Wade to hear someone like O’Neal say that. Here was a former MVP and three-time champion telling him just how great he could be, and Wade certainly lived up to Shaq’s expectations.

Wade would end up with career averages of 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. He won three championships, a Finals MVP, and was a 13-time All-Star.


Shaquille O’Neal Wanted To Help Dwyane Wade Become A Superstar

It is clear that Wade has a ton of respect and admiration for O’Neal. Shaq may not have been the dominant force that he had been with the Los Angeles Lakers when he came to Miami, but his presence was still huge for Wade. The conversations that the two of them had and the wisdom that O’Neal imparted to him at a young age helped him become the iconic player he is today.

The 41-year-old revealed earlier this year that when O’Neal arrived, he wanted to help Wade become a superstar. Shaq told the youngster that the Heat were his team and that he was going to help him become one of the greatest ever. Wade certainly did end up becoming one of the greats, and O’Neal had a part to play in that.

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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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