“I’ll find my way. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be there. But you go out and be the player that we want you to be.” Taking a backseat to a team he once carried was one of Wade’s toughest challenges, as he once admitted. But that understanding was what made the duo work so well and landed them two consecutive championships. Two future Hall of Famers on one roster produced countless iconic plays – yet few match this one.

But some of them stand out forever, especially the ones that come amid all the external doubts and hate. And a father-son duo has managed to re-create an iconic LeBron James-Dwyane Wade moment from their time in the Miami Heat.

It was on December 6, 2010, that the Heat were on the road, facing the Milwaukee Bucks. Now, Wade had history in that city thanks to his college days with the Marquette Eagles. Still, the boos rained down—after all, this was the beginning of the Big Three era with LeBron and Chris Bosh in tow. And while the 88-78 win wasn’t particularly thrilling, one moment during that game lit up the basketball world.

Picture this: Dwyane Wade and LeBron James on a fast break. The ball finds its way from Wade to Bron. LeBron soars for a thunderous dunk. Wade, arms outstretched, celebrated before the dunk even hit the rim. pure magic. What took it to another level, though, was the photo snapped by Associated Press photographer Morry Gash. You know the one—LeBron levitating toward the rim while Wade beams below him, arms spread. That image became an instant classic.

Years later, in 2022, a father-son duo nailed a beat-for-beat reenactment. The video, shared by Fastbreak Hoops on X, immediately struck a chord with fans. One fan in particular? Dwyane Wade himself. “This might be the coolest re-creation yet! [salute and clap emoji],” he wrote while resharing the clip.

When the man who lived the moment calls your tribute the best, you know you’ve done something special. However, despite this being one of the most popular moments from the league, there exists a preconceived notion about it that is not exactly accurate. Most people looking at the famous image think it was a flashy alley-oop.

But Wade set the record straight during a conversation on Trophy Room. “No matter how many times I say this, people don’t understand that it was not a lob,” he clarified. “It was a bounce pass. I did not throw a lob to LeBron on that play. I threw a bounce pass and did this ‘What?’ to the crowd.” In either case, the moment remains an iconic one. And for Dwyane Wade to call it “coolest re-creation yet,” you have to realise this was not the first instance when someone tried to mimic this legendary frame.

Instances in the NBA itself when the iconic Dwyane Wade-LeBron James was recreated

That dunk? It was poetry in motion back in 2010. No wonder that fast forward 13 years, and it came to life again. This time through the Orlando Magic duo of Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony. On November 30, 2023, during a dominant 139-120 win over the Washington Wizards, Suggs and Anthony gave fans a live throwback to the iconic snapshot.

Their tribute went viral on Instagram within hours, with Suggs donning the No. 3 Heat jersey and Anthony mimicking Wade’s cutback and outstretched arm before sealing it with a one-handed slam. Suggs embraced the Wade role with open arms, while Anthony delivered a fierce one-handed alley-oop that instantly carved a place in NBA memory.

But the throwback vibes didn’t stop there. On March 30, LeBron James himself came close to repeating history against the Memphis Grizzlies. This time, Luka Doncic appeared in the frame, not with outstretched arms like Wade, but enough to spark flashbacks for fans online. The King and The Flash might’ve done it first, but clearly, the moment lives on. The Wade-James connection has become so iconic that it has even seeped into pop culture.

The official teaser for Space Jam: A New Legacy  (2021) dropped a clear nod to the Wade–LeBron dunk, with animated Lola Bunny feeding LeBron James in mid-air, complete with Wade’s signature no-look pass and arm-raise pose. But that’s not all. From trick-shot YouTubers to basketball-centric TikTokers have tried their hand at recreating this piece of Miami Heat lore.

And now, Dwyane Wade has even chosen his favorite one: the recreation by the aforementioned father-son duo on X.