The 2011 NBA Finals are something LeBron James and Dwyane Wade would never forget. Squandering a 2-1 lead to the Dallas Mavericks, Miami was in denial after all the efforts had gone in vain. It remains one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history. However, it seems like the NBA’s All-Time Scoring Leader took the disappointment to a whole new level of craziness. In an interview with Rachel Nichols, Heat icon Wade sat down to share an unearthed incident about the Los Angeles Lakers forward that could have ended his career. 

Though both the stars had planned for a vacation after the Finals in 2011, the postseason upset brought out a crazy side of the then 26-year-old James.

Dwyane Wade opens up about the aftermath of the 2011 Finals loss

Overcoming the Boston Celtics and MVP Derrick Rose’s Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had a tough path to the Finals. However, the real challenge was facing the German sensation, Dirk Nowitzki. Losing to the Dallas Mavericks 4-2, Wade and James were in utter disappointment as they failed to bag their first NBA title together.

Joining reporter Nichols for an interview, Wade was asked about the aftermath of the loss. The three-time NBA champion mentioned, “We already had this vacation planned. We had this house in the Bahamas…Bron and Savannah came in… I was on a balcony…He[James] looked down, he said ‘how deep do you think that is,'” pointing to a pool under the balcony. Wade added, “8-9 feet. He said ‘Let me see’, took his stuff off, jumped into the pool from the balcony.”

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Wade instantly realized how insane what James did was. He continued, “I was like, ‘this dude is crazy.‘” In disbelief, Nichols said, “That could have been the end of his NBA career”. However, Wade confirmed that James “didn’t even think about that” and he just jumped into the water.

“That’s how crazy the time was. Like, that’s where your mind was,” said Wade. Considering the pressure that was on James to win the title after taking his talents to South Beach, his actions were a little understandable.

LeBron James got overshadowed by a German icon in the 2011 NBA Finals

James, who averaged 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists was on a mission to win his first NBA title. However, Nowitzki did not allow that. Averaging 23 points and 7 rebounds, Nowitzki was an undefendable fadeaway master who led the Dallas Mavericks to an epic championship. Initially facing a 2-1 deficit against the Heat, the 14-time All-Star made sure he sent James and Wade back home by killing their hopes. 

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However, the very next year, James and Wade redeemed themselves to bag their first NBA title together by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals. The 2011 Finals loss certainly changed something in LeBron and maybe that is the reason why he reached eight Finals in nine years, winning four times.