The competitiveness of the NBA shifted when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in 2010. Many haven’t forgotten how the Big 3 of Miami changed things in the league. However, Wade revealed that one of the reasons the superteam with the Heat was formed was because of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
According to Wade, it all changed when the Lakers traded for big man Pau Gasol. With the Spanish forward, Los Angeles returned to being competitive and won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. The two titles Bryant won gave him a total of five championships under his name.
According to Wade, he felt as if Bryant was way ahead of him and the other stars in terms of success..
“So, Kobe gon’ get two championships, back-to-back,” Wade said. “How we goin’ compete with that? So, we gotta do our thing. And whatever our thing is, is what it came to be.
“Now, Kobe has five championships. I got one, Bron ain’t got none. He is leaving us in the pack. We’re competitive, I’m sitting there like, ‘This summer gotta be different.’ I needed some talent, ’cause I was playing with less than average talent.”
Dwayne Wade talks about how Kobe winning his 5th championship made him and Lebron create a Superteam pic.twitter.com/MxajJQ8uPq
— Thetruth (@Thetruth8240) February 27, 2025
However, Wade revealed that teaming up with James and Bosh wasn’t his initial plan. The three-time champion wanted to play with at least one All-Star. He was hopeful to have a star player join the Heat franchise.
Wade’s other option was to join the Chicago Bulls and play with the young talent they had. The Bulls had a young Derrick Rose leading the charge and a few other players who have gradually developed their skills in the league.
The Heat’s contract decision offended Dwyane Wade
During the summer of 2016, Dwyane Wade surprised everyone when he chose not to stay with the Heat. Instead, the 6-foot-4 star opted to sign a two-year, $20 million contract to play for the Chicago Bulls. In his appearance at “The Underground Lounge,” Wade revealed the story behind his contract negotiation with the franchise.
“They wanted to go after Kevin Durant. We had Hassan Whiteside, a player that came out of the G League, had a great year, and was up for $100 million. I’m sitting here like, I want young fella to get his money… but y’all about to pay him over me? Take care of me first. Then, let’s take care of young fella. Because I’ve shown it. I’ve proven it. This is proven. And they didn’t do it. They didn’t get Kevin Durant, either.” Wade said
After two years, Dwyane Wade found himself playing for the team that drafted him as he was in the latter years of his career.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
