‘Heat Culture’ can’t be credited to just one pro. Dwyane Wade shared the honor of building a championship-wining team alongside some of the best teammates. His celebrated career led him to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. His teammates from Miami were perhaps the most ecstatic about his well-deserved honor. One former Heat star is still reeling from D-Wade’s stardom. He gushed about it between discussing his own career.

The 43-year-old had a special friendship with Dwyane Wade and others in Miami. He briefly brought his friend’s HoF honor on The Knuckleheads podcast. Wade also had an endearing response to his old friend.

2011 Sixth Man of the Year hails his Heat teammate Dwyane Wade

While on The Knuckleheads podcast, the two-time champion revealed that the Heat, their president Pat Riley, and Dwyane Wade, had a big impact on him as a player. He admired Riley since his coaching days with the Lakers and Magic Johnson.

After beginning his NBA career in 1999, the former spouse of Khloe Kardashian came to Miami for the 2003-04 season. In that short time, he made deep connections with his teammates. Notably, it was also the year a Dwyane Wade was drafted by the Miami Heat.

Lamar Odom revealed that Pat Riley would put him through an intense routine of “run, defense, rebound,” as soon as he arrived. Odom confessed, this made him focused on improving. He would then see the team’s chances get better with the arrival of a new face.

The hosts, of course, asked what it was like playing with a young D-Wade. Odom recalled being awestruck by the then-rookie.  “I remember calling home about D-Wade. I’m like, ‘Yo, we got one…Y’all remember that dude that we’ve seen get that triple-double?’ He like that.” 

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Odom was not done heaping praises on the upstart The Flash was as a rookie. “Too big for the point. And like, too quick and strong for the two. He gonna f**k ’em up,” added the 43-year-old.

He concluded his analysis about his rookie teammate with, “And he in the Hall of Fame.”

D-Wade salutes Lamar Odom

The Hall of Famer noticed Odom’s mention of him. Wade shared a snippet of the interview on his Instagram Stories. He added the extra caption, “PEERS” with a heart and a saluting emoji.

When he was going through a health crisis, Odom received support from many Heat teammates in 2015, including Wade. Odom would return the favor by joining Wade’s other teammates in recording a special message for the NBA star’s HoF induction.

“My rook! You’re always going to be my rook!” Odom said in the Miami Heat video, once again narrating how he told his family about the new recruit Wade back then. It goes to show that Miami Heat and its 2003 roster shaped Lamar Odom for most of his career.

Even if it was brief, he’ll always be close to Dwyane Wade for that.

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