Plot Thickens As Dwyane Wade Responds To Mark Cuban’s Allegations Of Rigged 2006 NBA Finals

The 2006 NBA Finals still hold a sore spot in Mark Cuban’s mind. He highlighted this in a recent interview by stating that “We hurt in 2006 after it was stolen from us, right? And I’ll take that to my grave that it was stolen from us”. The former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks reportedly remains frustrated, as ‘Fadeaway World’ reported, “from what many Mavericks fans and neutral observers remember as one of the most controversial Finals in league history”. In light of Cuban’s remarks, it remained to be seen whether another star member of that Finals series speaks up. Well, one has done so now.

Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade recently hosted another episode of his Wy Network’s ‘The Timeout’ podcast. During the conversation with his co-host Bob Metelus, he did not waste time bringing up Mark Cuban’s comments. The former NBA player revealed not knowing the billionaire that well, since he had only had one conversation with him since the 2006 Finals. Wade did claim to love Mark Cuban from afar, and respect “everything that he has accomplished, everything he’s done”. However, the former player also wants Cuban to accept that the Heat beat the Mavs in that Finals. If the billionaire wanted to build a counterpoint based on foul calls, then Wade had that covered, too.

“We get some foul calls, everybody got foul calls. We can, we can all go back and point. I can go back and point in 2011, in one of them series where Dirk have 48. He got 24 free throws in one of those games. Does that mean they did that? Does that mean that the refs wanted them to win. I don’t know, but it wasn’t rigged. Like, we still have to play the game” said Wade. “And so, yeah, you had a young guy that was becoming a star in the NBA. Did I get a few whistles? Yes. But then, was I the only one attacking a basket every play? Probably so, bro. I’m gonna get some whistles, too. I’m gonna get some calls today. We’re fouling. Let’s not act like that”.

Dwyane Wade’s remarks were a reference to the 48 points Dirk Nowitzki had recorded during Game 1 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals. The Mavs legend got his total to that point against a Thunder team consisting of a young core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden by making 24 free throws, along with going 12-for-15 with his field goals. The Thunder reportedly attempted to fight physically with Nowitzki, but they kept getting whistled for hand-checks, grabbing, and clutching on the perimeter, etc. Years later, no reported news sources cast doubts on the methods Dirk Nowitzki used to put out that score total.

Unlike Dirk Nowitzki’s game, however, the question about the 2006 NBA Finals being rigged has been brought up, and not just by Mark Cuban. Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who was arrested in connection with a betting scandal, went viral back in August for claiming about the 2006 Finals that “I think basically Dallas got screwed out of a championship in that situation because the NBA started to manipulate the series to make sure it was extended and Dallas could never recover from it”. ‘Athlon Sports’ reporter Paul White highlighted a theory that the league purposely inflated the Heat’s free-throw numbers in an attempt to even the score. Despite all this and Mark Cuban’s claims, no clear evidence of wrongdoing has yet been reported.

Mark Cuban, once again bringing up the 2006 NBA Finals, shows his long-running animosity. If that hadn’t happened, then Dwyane Wade might have been a guest on ‘Shark Tank’ after all.

Dwyane Wade Hilariously Blamed Mark Cuban’s Issues As The Reason Behind ‘Shark Tank’ Absence

‘Shark Tank’, the show of which Mark Cuban was a part for 14 years, often hosted several celebrity ‘Sharks’, aka celebrity investors. From renowned actors like Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Hart to sporting legends like Alex Rodriguez and Charles Barkley, several people also got the chance to make a bid for a potential entrepreneurial success project. Dwyane Wade himself has a business acumen, as he currently holds a minority stake in the Chicago Sky, and also boasts his own wine brand. Therefore, why wasn’t he ever invited on the show?

The 3x NBA champion was asked this during an interview on SXSW 2024 back in March 2024. To this query, he replied, “Mark Cuban is still on the show so they never ask me…Dallas, Miami…”. He also added that “I may get a call then… they won’t call me while Mark Cuban was on the show. We just started speaking recently”.

Having hired a former FBI Agent to investigate the NBA after the 2006 Finals and receiving a $250,000 fine after criticizing the officials, it was evident Cuban wasn’t going to let the topic of the 2006 Finals die down easily. Whether he responds to Dwyane Wade’s recent comments or not remains to be seen.