Dwyane Wade is meager hours away from being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. While his induction has been a given since he first retired in 2019, the Heat legend will still look forward to his moment on stage, and justifiably so. Ahead of his big day, the ‘The Flash’ sat down with ESPN reporter, Malika Andrews for an interview. And once he heard what Team President of the Miami Heat, Pat Riley had said about him and LeBron James, he couldn’t help but be just a little pompous about his career in the NBA.
Riley has never been the kind of person who minces his words, at least not in the last decade or so. Labeled ‘the Godfather’ of the NBA, he is known to make the most outlandish deals just to have a chance at winning at all. It seems, that mentality of his followed the trail into his thoughts about Wade’s legacy as a Heat legend as well. Here is what he said on the matter, as per Sportsmanor.
“As a Heat player, Dwyane is the greatest player to ever put on a uniform. Over the body of work over 17 years here in Miami, Dwayne’s the greatest player who ever played for the Heat. And that’s not an insult to LeBron.”
As one might expect, this is an opinion many have been a bit apprehensive about. However, during his interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Dwyane did nothing but double down on Pat’s words.
Dwyane Wade believes he is indeed the greatest ever to have ever played for the Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade and LeBron James have been the closest of friends for quite a long time. Oftentimes, when talking about who the better talent is of the two, Wade mostly volunteers himself into the backseat. However, as seen in a recent ESPN interview, after he heard what Riley said, he wasn’t willing to back down from his best friend anymore.
“Well, he is right (to say that I’m the greatest to ever put on a Miami Heat jersey). I played there for almost 15 years. I put it on for that city. And I gave everything to the community. I gave everything to the game, I sacrificed everything that I could have to make sure we reached the levels that we wanted to reach. This is no slight to anybody, I am (the greatest player in the history of the Miami Heat).
I think LeBron James is good.”
Judging by how he said it, Wade seemed to mean that James would agree with his and Pat Riley’s opinion of the greatest Miami Heat star of all time. Admittedly, it is difficult to disagree.
As a Miami Heat star, Wade won three championships, made 13 All-Star appearances, was part of the All-NBA team 8 times, part of the All-Defensive team thrice, before also becoming the Heat’s all-time leader in points (21,556), assists (5,310), steals (1,492), and games played (948), as per NBA.com.
D Wade was presented with his jacket by Zaire Wade
One of the many things being a Hall of Famer comes with, is a pristine jacket to mark that you are indeed part of the elite group of NBA history. Oftentimes, this can be offered to a player by his idol, his partner, or a host of other acquaintances. However, for Dwyane Wade, it was his father, Dywane Sr., and his son, Zaire Wade who had the honor of presenting him with the jacket.
Looks great on you, @DwyaneWade. Nobody deserves this more than you! #WadeHOF pic.twitter.com/dqt7DEEJW4
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 12, 2023
A moment that likely made every party here equally proud of the Heat legend. Even a jacket that is so pristine in its aesthetic and its meaning is nothing more than Wade deserves.
