On a recent episode of his podcast, Dwyane Wade spoke about how championships can make or break legacies. Wade noted that if the NBA’s history were a 30-floor hotel with a championship granting you access, he wouldn’t be allowed on the top floor. He then noted that a championship doesn’t define you as a great player, but great players must give up on their numbers to find championship success.
“There’s going to be a lot of arguments about ‘Oh, he’s better because he’s got more points, I like his game better. Oh, he’s better because he won more rings.’ This conversation never goes anywhere. Let’s use a hotel [as a metaphor]. 30 floors. We’re talking about an access key.”
“When I look at who has an access key to get to the 30th floor, I can’t go to 30. Bill Russell and Michael Jordan are up there. I may be on floor 25. But I ain’t on floor 30. That just means I don’t have access to go to that floor.”
“If you have not won a ring, it doesn’t mean you’re not colder than somebody who’s won a ring; you just don’t have access to the ring floors. Winning a ring? It’s a whole different game than being a great player and having stats… The sacrifice – I can have more stats if I didn’t care about winning a ring…
Wade seems to be making a larger point about how legacies are looked at in the NBA. Unlike many other veterans, Dwyane doesn’t subscribe to the philosophy that attributes success to just championship rings. However, the point he’s making is that championships just allow you to be remembered in a different way.
Dwyane Wade did note that his numbers in the NBA would have been so much better had he focused on his statistics rather than winning the NBA championship. Wade certainly didn’t have bad numbers during his career. But given that two of his NBA titles came playing as the second option behind LeBron James, there is some credence to what he is saying.
Wade averaged 22.0 points, 5.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field, 29.3% from beyond the arc, and 76.5% from the free-throw line. He was able to win three NBA championships, one Finals MVP, 13 All-Star nominations, eight All-NBA nominations, three All-Defensive teams, and an NBA scoring title.
There is no denying that Wade is one of the greatest players of all time. Many consider him to be the third best shooting guard of all time behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. And given his resume, it’s hard to argue against that. Not to mention how important Wade was to the legacy of some legendary players like Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James. D-Wade will always be remembered as one of the true all-time greats.
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