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Dwyane Wade was lying? LeBron James took over social media as he made history with his 50K points. However, he has been in the headlines for quite a while. Not just for his games and the Lakers’ winning streak, but he was also in the conversation for an old story from his Miami Heat days. It was narrated by his former teammate. But that was one-sided. Now, it seems there’s a lot to hear from the other side as well. And it shockingly doesn’t align with Wade’s tale.

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Earlier in The Underground Lounge podcast with Lou Williams and Spank Horton, Wade shared that LeBron’s infamous departure from the Heat was due to cookies! Interesting. But perhaps it was through cookies, he wanted to suggest that the then-coach Pat Riley’s extreme micromanaging led to the exit. And it broke the Heat Big 3 which had James, DWade and Chris Bosh.

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Surprisingly, famous podcast host and Riley’s good friend Dan Le Batard revealed that the Heat organization denied that anything of the sort happened. During the latest segment of his show, he explained that many from the organisation reached out to share that the story has no truth in it. This is quite surprisingly how the team took such length to dismiss an old incident. “The one side has been told the other side from every crevice of the organization is denying that that story is true. You choose your truth. I’m giving you both truths the Miami Heat believe that in this one instance Dwyane wade appears to be lying,” LeBatard said.

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In short, it is claimed that Wade’s story might not be true. And it raised eyebrows! DWade had detailed that James loved his cookies and one shouldn’t mess with. He always carries them during their flights for games and one day James was upset when he didn’t get his cookies. “It was too much micromanaging at that point. Like you’re talking about who was four Finals in a row. You don’t need to micromanage us and I felt that Riles did. He went a little too far with his micromanaging at points like that. He’s a grown man. You don’t take his cookies away from him,” Wade said. 

James’ departure from the Heat to back to his home was a big moment and ushered a wave for the rest too. Wade said that this where everything started. And the rest is as we know, Wade left Miami to play for his home town.

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Dwyane Wade opened up about old feelings for Miami Heat

In the same podcast, the basketball legend also got candid about his feelings when he left the Miami Heat. Over the years, Coach Riley was blamed by fans for Wade’s exit. However, as the 3x NBA champ discussed his reason for leaving, it doesn’t seem to have been the coach. It is well known that D-Wade made several sacrifices for the team. He explained that the real reason he was upset was how the Heat prioritized paying others over him.

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His former teammate Chris Bosh also got his deal. And when Wade initiated the conversation, he said the team decided to deal with young player Hassan Whiteside before him. Wade also mentioned the Heat’s interest in Kevin Durant. He had signed two extension deals as well.

At the end, he decided to take the matter to the owners, Mickey Arison. He said that his agent was sick and he himself took the role to negotiate. “I said hey, I’m opting out and I did…I brought the Arisons into my home because we could negotiate this ourselves. So I wanted a three-year deal to take me out, and I wanted a certain amount of money. And they wouldn’t do it,” Wade detailed

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This is what convinced him to finally leave the Heat to join the Chicago Bulls. There was seemingly never a serious issue with Riley, however, the former had regretted Wade’s departure.However, he did return during the end of his career and has even reconciled with the franchise.

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Pritha Debroy

3,476 Articles

Pritha Debroy works with the NFL Lifestyle Desk at EssentiallySports, where she explores the league beyond the sidelines and focuses on the cultural nuances of football. Bringing a fresh perspective shaped by her background in basketball lifestyle stories and cross-sport expertise, she highlights how NFL athletes build influence off the field. A graduate of the EssentiallySports Journalistic Excellence Program, our in-house initiative that trains writers under industry experts, Pritha specializes in long-form features and player-driven stories that capture the evolving identity of today’s NFL stars. Pritha combines her passion for storytelling with a thoughtful approach to sports culture and lifestyle. With strong communication skills and an eye for detail, she brings a distinctive voice to NFL journalism, delivering engaging and insightful content that resonates with readers.

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Oajaswini S Prabhu

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