Dave Fizdale reignited an old NBA debate while appearing on NBA TV, offering his perspective on one of the league’s most controversial MVP races. Reflecting on the 2008-09 season, the longtime coach argued that the award did not go to the right player.
“He should’ve been MVP that year, but LeBron got it,” Fizdale said. “They argue about that. It was off the Olympics, everybody was seeing who he was again. I think he led the league in scoring that year. He was in a groove.”
Fizdale’s opinion carries weight given his background around elite talent. A former assistant with the Miami Heat, he later became head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks, earning a reputation as a players’ coach with close ties to stars across the league. While he doesn’t have any stakes in the debate, it’s clear he feels strongly about who should have won.
The 2009 MVP race ultimately came down to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, two teammates from the 2008 Olympic team who were both at the peak of their powers. Voters leaned toward team success and overall impact when casting their ballots, resulting in James getting the nod for the first time in his career, now a four-time MVP.
LeBron won the award after leading Cleveland to a league-best 66 wins while averaging 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on 48.9 percent shooting (34.4 percent from three). His dominance on both ends, combined with the Cavaliers’ record, made him the clear choice in the eyes of most voters. That year, he earned 109 first-place votes at 24 years old, far surpassing any other player.
Wade, however, had a compelling case of his own. He led the league in scoring at 30.2 points per game while adding 5.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game on 49.1 percent shooting (31.7 percent from three), carrying a far less talented Heat roster to a respectable 43–39 record, good for fifth in the East.
While MVP voters typically value winning highly, Fizdale believes Wade’s individual brilliance should have mattered more, and he’s not the only one. Over the years, other prominent NBA figures have expressed similar thoughts, including Wade himself.
In the end, however, the voters disagreed. Wade not only didn’t win the MVP that year, but he finished third with just seven first-place votes and 680 total points. Those are relatively low numbers for a player who carried his team all season, but the Heat simply were not good enough for him to edge out LeBron.
Years later, the two ended up as teammates in Miami, where they formed a partnership that resulted in two championships and four straight Finals appearances. While Wade never won an MVP, his legacy still shines as one of the greatest shooting guards of all time.
In hindsight, debates like this only underscore how thin the margins can be when greatness collides. LeBron had the wins, Wade had the burden, and history chose its side. What Fizdale’s comments really do is reopen a conversation that never fully closed, one that reminds fans just how special Wade was at his peak. MVP or not, his impact that season still resonates today.
