Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade ranks near the top of the list of the greatest shooting guards to ever play the sport. Many folks, though, appear to have him a tier below the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
But according to the three-time champ, he had his eyes on surpassing Jordan. Unfortunately, injuries stood in the way.
“I did so many different things, and I played so many different roles,” Wade said on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast while talking about why he is overlooked in discussions of the all-time greats. “That’s one of the reasons why…I’m not the greatest shooter of all time. But I was great at so many different things, and Melo talked about it. Then I learned how to be great at being a role player. So, I learned how to be great at all these things, and no one knows how to really break down my game.
“So they look over it, and they just go to one or two things. But I did so many things in the game of basketball. When I had it, I had it. I thought I was gonna be, before injuries, I’m like, ‘MJ, I’m coming for you.’ That’s my mentality.”
The fact that Wade achieved legendary status in the NBA despite not having been highly touted as other prospects during his time is a testament to how dedicated he was to honing his craft.
Because of his subpar academic performance in high school, the Illinois native couldn’t be recruited by many schools. He eventually chose to study at Marquette University but had to skip one season because of his academic standing.
After playing two years in college, Wade decided to declare for the 2003 NBA Draft, which LeBron James and Anthony headlined. He fell to the No. 5 spot in the draft, but it didn’t take him long to make his mark in the league. In only his third year, he helped lead the Heat to the championship and won the Finals MVP.
Unfortunately, instead of battling Jordan and Bryant for the distinction of being the best shooting guard ever, Wade hit a roadblock when he sustained serious injuries in the following couple of years. He missed 31 games each in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, resulting in Miami transforming into a non-contender.
The 13-time All-Star eventually recovered, leading the league in scoring in the 2008-09 campaign and averaging at least 25.5 points per game in three consecutive seasons. However, his squad couldn’t compete for the championship in the first two of those three campaigns.
Wade teamed up in 2011 with draft classmates James and Chris Bosh to form a Big 3. Consequently, the eight-time All-NBA selection had to go from being the top dog to second fiddle. While it added two more rings to his collection, his chances of being in the same conversation as Jordan and Bryant significantly dipped.
Even so, Wade appears fine with how his career turned out. After all, he won multiple championships, was voted one of the 75 best NBA players of all time and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.