Dwyane Wade names 2 former Miami Heat teammates to his all-time starting 5

peter2dewey@yahoo.com'
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Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade revealed his all-time starting five, and it includes two of his former teammates.

Wade chose Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal as his all-time starting group, leaving himself off of the list.

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Jordan and Bryant are two of the greatest shooting guards of all time (one would play the small forward spot in this scenario), so it makes sense that Wade chose them over himself.

During his career, Wade played with both James and O’Neal, winning titles with each of them. He won one NBA title with O’Neal on the team, beating the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals.

Wade was magnificent in that series, averaging 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field. He was terrific in each of Miami’s wins, scoring at least 36 points in Games 3 through 6.

Later on in his career, Wade teamed up with James and Chris Bosh to form the Heat’s Big 3. The trio made the NBA Finals in four straight seasons, winning two titles in the process.

James and Jordan are widely considered to be the two greatest players in NBA history, so it’s no surprise that they both made the list.

Curry, who is generally viewed as the greatest shooter in NBA history, is another four-time champion (James and O’Neal are as well) that can still add to his legacy in the next few seasons.

During the 2021-22 season, Curry led the Warriors to a title over the Boston Celtics, capturing his first NBA Finals MVP award.

It’s really hard to argue with Wade’s list, although some Heat fans may have wanted him to include himself.

In his storied NBA career, Wade averaged 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the field. He won a scoring title in the 2008-09 season and was an All-NBA selection eight times in his career.

Wade is a part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023, putting himself amongst the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball.

There aren’t many holes in Wade’s all-time starting five, and fans can only imagine how great a team would be with those players leading the way.

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Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.