Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade knows a thing or two about greatness on the basketball court. Wade was one of the very best players of his generation, and content creator Deric Eze asked him for his list of the five greatest players of all time.
“Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Steph Curry,” Wade said.
There is a very modern flavor to Wade’s top five. Only one of them was active before the 1990s, and it’s the first one he mentioned.
Michael Jordan won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, one DPOY, and 10 scoring titles. Jordan dominated the NBA in the 1990s, leading the Chicago Bulls to three-peats from 1991 to 1993 and from 1996 to 1998. Wade grew up in Chicago and unsurprisingly idolized him as a result. To go with those accolades, Jordan also made 14 All-Star, 11 All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams.
Kobe Bryant was the closest thing we had seen to Jordan, and Wade went with him next. Bryant won five titles, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. Wade wasn’t able to compete against Jordan, but he did go up against the Lakers icon and loved those battles. Bryant also made 18 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 12 All-Defensive teams.
Jordan and Bryant were obvious picks from Wade, and so was his former teammate, LeBron James. James has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, one scoring title, and one assists title. He was named an All-Star for the 22nd time in his career in 2026, and has made 21 All-NBA and six All-Defensive teams as well.
Jordan and James are widely regarded as the two greatest players of all time, and the GOAT debate tends to come down to them. Wade has shared his take on the debate, and it’s a bit of a unique one. The 44-year-old regards Jordan as the greatest player he’s watched, and James as the greatest he’s seen.
Another former teammate of Wade’s could have potentially been in this mix, and we’re of course talking about Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal won four titles, three Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles. He also made 15 All-Star, 14 All-NBA, and three All-Defensive teams. The fact that the notion exists that O’Neal underachieved despite having this kind of a resume tells you how special a player he was. One wonders what might have been had he taken better care of his body.
Wade’s last selection was probably the one you might not have expected. Stephen Curry isn’t a name commonly brought up in top-five lists, but he does have an impressive resume. Curry has won four titles, one Finals MVP, two MVPs, and two scoring titles. He has made 11 All-Star and 11 All-NBA teams, and is the greatest shooter we have ever seen.
Wade had previously named Curry as one of the seven greatest NBA players he’s ever seen. Each of these five was on that list, and they were joined by Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett.
Getting back to this clip, Wade answered some other interesting questions as well. He went with Bryant when asked to name the toughest player he ever had to guard and the player he wished he got to play with. As for today’s players who remind Wade of himself, he went with Donovan Mitchell and Anthony Edwards. He was pretty much on point there.
