“I got Shaq in my second year and it became business.” Dwyane Wade was living his dream in his rookie year with the Miami Heat. And with the arrival of Big Aristotle for $101,000,000, Wade knew the business was about to get serious in his second season. Instead, it took a complete turn and had Wade land on an unexpected beauty list. So, how did this all come about?

Shedding light on the impact, Wade revealed that O’Neal not only helped him win the ring but also with another title on the side. After signing a 5-year contract, Shaquille O’Neal’s arrival helped Wade know that it was the next level in the league. According to the 3x NBA Champion, Shaq was a global celebrity and an icon, leading to thousands of people gathering out of team hotels, even at 3 AM.

“So that’s when I was like, ‘Oh, I’m in the league’… ‘They actually think I’m cute now.’ This is crazy!,” Wade said on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast. He further revealed that he wasn’t voted most cute even during his high school days but now, people started to look at him differently. “What’s that?!’ Beautiful? They ain’t never called me.” This earned him a spot on People’s Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in 2005.

Wade was the only NBA star in the issue and was joined by 3 other athletes namely soccer star David Beckham, tennis star Maria Sharapova, and former NFL player Tim Green. D-Wade became the second Heat player to be featured in the 50 Most Beautiful People issue, joining Alonzo Mourning, who was featured in the mid-1990s issue. The 2006 finals MVP also expressed his gratitude to Shaquille O’Neal for bringing in the eyeballs that helped him win the feature.

“Right place, right time, baby. Appreciate you, big fella.” Not just helping D-Wade score a fashion feature, O’Neal even staged an argument that was a tactic to help them win. Speaking on the Draymond Green show a month ago, Shaq revealed the reason for the argument.

Shaquille O’Neal used his unique motivation technique

“D-Wade and I had our first argument in the finals. We got down 2-0, I’m declining. I am going through a divorce. I am not Shaq, I had my first game f**king terrible, awful. So I pulled D-Wade in the room: ‘The f**k you going to do, man? You want to be a man? What the f**k you going to do?'” said Shaq. Thus, Wade was able to bring his A-game to the finals.

Producing one of the greatest performances in NBA playoff history. He not only averaged 34.7 points, 3.8 assists, and 7.8 rebounds but also led his team to four straight victories. And all the seriousness did not necessarily exist during his rookie year.

Wade revealed that during his first year with Lamar Odum, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant, they were just out there having fun. The three of them were part of the trade deal to bring in O’Neal to Miami. However, Wade recalled his rookie season as the “funnest year” he ever played in the NBA. And well, what followed was history.