“Didn’t Want to Step on D-Wade’s Toes”: Former Miami Heat Teammate Explains LeBron James’ Selfless Approach

Real Madrid had the ‘Galacticos’ in a similar way as the Miami Heat had the Big Three. However, the Galacticos did not enjoy the success that Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh did. 

In their four dominant years of togetherness, the trio took the Miami Heat to previously untouched heights. They reached four back-to-back NBA Finals and won two. Soon after the 2014 Finals loss, the team got dismantled as LeBron parted ways from the franchise and went back to his former love. But how was it like when he first entered the scene in 2010?

LeBron James’ initial years in the Miami Heat

The Akron Hammer already had a reputation when he entered the Miami Heat. Before that happened, he was an All-star who had taken the Cavs to greater heights by averaging 35+ in the 2008-09 post-season. However, it was a well-understood fact that he would be either option #2 or option #3 for the Miami Heat.

Chris Bosh, who entered the 2010-11 season after averaging 24 points with the Raptors, had his own hopes of getting even better. But Bosh knew that neither he nor Bron can dethrone D-Wade because he was the franchise guy. 

In an interview, Chris revealed, “I didn’t want to step on their toes, LeBron definitely didn’t want to step on D-Wade’s toes, because he had developed his style of play at the time. That’s a ball dominant style to be honest with you. I know for sure he thought – ‘This is D-Wade, he’s the franchise guy’.

“It took them having a conversation to pretty much say, “Hey man, do your thing. We’re behind you, we’ve got your back, we’re going to allow you to be the best player in the world.” That was pretty much the conversation, and it was off and running after that.”

So what followed this collaboration of the stars?

Data speaks for itself. It became very clear from the first year itself that CB4 was the one who would settle for #3. However, as the seasons proceeded, it was LeBron who took the charge. The L-Train began walking the path to becoming the best player in the world. He won both the NBA Finals MVP in 2012 and 2013 to further cement his place in the organization.

Dwyane Wade (with Shaq) surely gave the Heat their first-ever title in 2006, but it was because of LeBron that they could add two more. Interestingly, just as Bron left, Chris Bosh’s average improved as the responsibility got divided amongst the two. 

It’s great to see how Erik Spoelstra managed three top stars. He obviously did not allow their personal interests to go over team gains. So it is safe to assume that LeBron had better figures because he was the better player and not because he wanted to set records. Champions simply do not care for numbers, they care for organizations.