Wade on the Heat’s Big Three: I Had the Ability to Sacrifice for a Championship, But We Could Only Revolve Around LeBron James

Today, Dwyane Wade, a Miami Heat legend, appeared on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast, where he revisited the topic of the Heat’s Big Three and discussed his “Banana Boat” brother LeBron James.

During the podcast, Wade shared:

“I knew that people get older, and as the oldest member of the Big Three, this signing was an opportunity to mitigate risks. If I had made the wrong choice, I might have only won one championship in my career. Therefore, when we had the chance to play together, it took me a long time to subdue my ego, but actually, I didn’t have a strong ego because I wasn’t a star growing up; I was a role player. It was through my hard work and performance that I became a star.”

“But let’s return to the topic of the Heat’s Big Three. This is Miami, a city that I helped create into Wade’s World, a basketball town that my teammates and I built with our own hands. So, forming the trio was difficult, but you know what kind of person I am. I believed it was the best move (to gain something from the game). What I wanted was the Larry O’Brien Trophy (the championship trophy), and I wanted more. I already had one, so I knew what it felt like, and I wanted more. This was my best opportunity after becoming a free agent, and I felt it was the best choice I could make in a situation that I could control. The sacrifices were personal choices I made, playing alongside one of the GOATs on the stage I created.”

“At that time, I understood that I wasn’t Serena Williams, not a tennis player. This wasn’t an individual sport but a team sport, and it was about what you ultimately wanted. Forming the trio was the best opportunity. I knew my own personality, and even though I had leadership qualities, I understood how to look at things from another perspective and make changes. I had the ability to take a step back during decision-making, look around, and assess the current situation. Some people are excellent, but they only see things from one angle (Wade’s hand pointing upwards). I was capable of pausing and making different decisions. Was it difficult? Yes, it really was, but I felt I was perfectly suited for this role. Not many people could take on this role. LeBron is an outstanding athlete, but you have to work around him.”

“As you saw, in our first year together, we had to do everything together, every interview, every post-game press conference, because we needed to stay closely connected. My team didn’t want me to do it, neither did my family. Neither did LeBron’s team. But if we hadn’t done it, we might have failed, and I didn’t want to be part of that failure.”