What if Dwyane Wade and LeBron James had brought the lost glory back to Chicago? These two NBA greats previously teamed up to win two championship titles for the Miami Heat. But the original plan was meant to be different. There was, however, a condition on both the franchise’s and Wade’s end that ultimately kept the trio in Miami. 

The 3x NBA Champion recently joined Heat legends Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller on The OG’s podcast. When asked by Miller, Wade revealed that he and James had come very close to joining the Windy City franchise in 2010 free agency period. The Bulls were interested in adding two star players to their roster and Wade was eager to beat the 4x NBA Finals MVP.

The Bulls could only take on two players. In Wade’s mind, it couldn’t be him and LeBron. It was a combination The Flash just hadn’t imagined. After all, he loved competing against Bron, enough to forget he could play alongside him. So he was determined to beat his friend to it. More so, considering his connection with Chicago. 

“In my mind, I was like if I’m going to go to Chicago, it can’t be me and LeBron. I gotta beat LeBron there. They gonna take him before they take me. But it could be me and Chris or it could be me and Boozer or whatever it is right. Because I never thought about playing with LeBron. I didn’t think that was possible,” Wade said.

Wade grew up in that city. So he wanted to be a part of the franchise. However, that’s when the Miami Heat changed the game. They had the capacity to add three players, solving the equation for Wade as well as James.

Despite the Bulls’ hopes, the deal didn’t materialize, and instead, the iconic trio took shape in Miami, where they went on to make four consecutive NBA Finals appearances and secured two titles in 2012 and 2013.

LeBron James convinced Dwyane Wade to return to the Miami Heat 

Dwyane Wade initially seemed confident in his decision. He wanted to explore his opportunities and was doubtful that the Miami Heat could win another title. The Chicago Bulls looked promising. Then what made him change his mind? It was, of course, his former teammate, LeBron James. During the same podcast, the 13X NBA All-Star recalled receiving a call from James, who convinced him to consider the opportunity they had with the Heat.

It didn’t take Wade long to make his final decision. Interestingly, if James hadn’t persuaded him, we might never have seen the formation of the “Big Three.” “I was actually leaving Miami at that time. I didn’t think there was nobody out there that we could get was gonna help us get to that level. But I got that call man. I got a call from No. 6,” Wade said on the podcast.

However, this also means that a potential team-up between James and Wade with the talented Derrick Rose, who had just won Rookie of the Year, didn’t happen. The professional reason behind Wade’s decision is that he doubted the trio would work together effectively since all three were ball-dominant players.

While we’ll never know if that lineup would have succeeded, the more strategic “Big Three” ultimately thrived, just as the two former teammates and friends had predicted.