“All 3 different guys' games was something that I can reach” - Dwyane Wade says he’s modeled his game after Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson
Dwyane Wade had an outstanding NBA career and has revealed that he patterned his game after some of the greats, including Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Wade played as a shooting guard throughout his 16-year career, which is why it makes sense to learn from two of the best. However, he also chose to pick a thing or two from the high-scoring point guard with elite handling skills in Allen Iverson.
While Wade did not have the ball-handling skills of AI, he was an elite scorer. He won the scoring title in 2009 after averaging 30.2 points per game.
Dwyane Wade's inclusion in the NBA's 75th Anniversary team cetainly meant a lot to him 💯 https://t.co/Ur9ANLyJib
On the "Point Forward" podcast, when asked about his early career and who he modeled his game after, the three-time NBA champ said:
"I got the chance to watch a guy, and to watch a team, and to watch players that I just admired so much that I just wanted to go out and do everything that they did.
"So, I'm a big Jordan guy, which everyone knows, but I was a big Allen Iverson and Kobe guy. Those were my three that I kind of followed and tried to like pat my game after, because I thought all those three different guys' games was something I can reach that was attainable for me in a sense. So, those three, man."
In the end, Wade's decision bore fruit for him. The heat" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Miami Heat legend is one of the best shooting guards in league history.
Dwyane Wade won three NBA championships in his career
Wade was part of an incredible 2003 draft class alongside LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. Due to the level of talent in the class, he was selected fifth by the Heat behind Bosh.
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The Dwyane Wade game winner 👀 https://t.co/QRvk23bAhO
Wade, however, was the first to win a championship among his peers. With the help of Shaquille O'Neal, he led the Heat to a 4-2 series win over the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals.
In 2010, he paired up with two of his 2003 draft classmates, James and Bosh. Together, they reached the finals for four consecutive years and clinched two titles.
"Miami is all about championships. You can take the years you don’t win championships and say man, we had a great season, but that wasn’t a year that Pat Riley and the organization want to remember. They want to remember the ones that end in parades."
- Dwyane Wade https://t.co/u7boFuU7er
In their first year together, they lost the finals to the Mavericks. Led by Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs overturned a 2-1 deficit to win the series 4-2.
After winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013, the Heat had an opportunity to three-peat. Despite beating the San Antonio Spurs 4-3 the previous year, they lost 4-1 in the 2014 Finals.