(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
LeBron James spent the first seven years of his NBA career playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But James wasn’t able to win a ring during that time.
To change his ringless status, James joined the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010 and formed a Big 3 with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
While the “Heatles” advanced to the NBA Finals in 2011, they were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks in six games.
Following the 2011 NBA Finals meltdown, Wade revealed via the “Club Shay Shay” podcast on Twitter that he handed the keys to the franchise to LeBron James ahead of the 2011-12 NBA season.
“For us to win rings, you (LeBron) have to be who you are,” Wade said.
. @DwyaneWade Reveals Conversation About Handing @KingJames the Keys Of The @MiamiHeat:
“We said we wanted to win rings… ‘For us to win rings, you (LeBron) have to be who you are.’ And besides Kobe, that’s the game’s greatest player, so I can’t stand in the way of that.” pic.twitter.com/FGeCazDTbF
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) September 27, 2023
Wade explained how the Heat wanted to win rings, and the only way for that to happen was to make James the primary superstar on the roster.
D-Wade believed James was only second to Kobe Bryant as the best player in the NBA at the time.
Following Wade’s decision to hand the keys to James, the Heat dominated the NBA with ease.
They won back-to-back NBA titles in 2012 and 2013.
James was named the NBA Finals MVP both times as well.
In hindsight, Wade’s decision did wonders for both James and the Heat.
James ended his stint with the Heat in 2014 after making four straight NBA Finals appearances and winning two rings.
The King then decided to leave the Heat to continue his career with the Cavaliers, winning one ring in 2016.
As of now, James is currently a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and has already won a ring.
The post Dwyane Wade Recalls How LeBron James Became Heat’s Top Guy appeared first on The Cold Wire.
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