Dwyane Wade and LeBron James – Source: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers, Getty Images/Getty
Dwyane Wade says Kobe Bryant’s fifth NBA title helped him lure LeBron James to the Miami Heat.
One thing podcasts give us are unfiltered stories from legends from different industries and careers. In sports, it seems like everyone saves their best stories for retirement. It’s almost like the interview is therapy for the players rather than entertainment for the audience.Dwyane Wade was on Tony Parker’s show, Complex reports SKWEEK SHOW And revealed how he lured LeBron James to Miami in 2010, with indirect help from Kobe Bryant.
At the time, Kobe had just won his fifth NBA championship with the Lakers, and not everyone was excited for him.
“I remember when Kobe ran over and grabbed the ball, I turned off the TV and I was like, ‘LeBron, what are you going to do,'” Wade recalled. “That was our summer free agency. They (the Lakers) were dominant. Kobe was winning all these rings. I was like, ‘Wait a minute, now he’s got five and we’re getting one?’ Like, No. This changes the league.”
Furthermore, when you look back at what happened after that faithful summer, everything has changed. LeBron and Wade spent four seasons together and reached four consecutive Finals. They ended up winning two rings together, all thanks to the Black Mamba. If this had never happened, it’s safe to say the modern NBA as we know it might not exist.
You can watch the full episode with all of D-Wade’s stories below.