"Oh my God! I am Shaquille O'Neal's teammate" - Dwyane Wade once revealed his surreal reaction when Shaq joined Heat
Dwyane Wade had taken the NBA by storm in his rookie season by the time Shaquille O'Neal joined the Miami Heat for the 2004-05 season. Wade, who averaged 16.2 points per game, 4.5 assists per game, and 1.4 steals per game while earning All-Rookie First-Team honors, looked to be a star.
All he needed was a co-star to help him take the team to the next level. Enter Shaquille O'Neal, a three-time NBA champ who was fresh off a 21.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg season.
The two, along with several key players such as Gary Payton, Alonzo Mourning, Antoine Walker, and Udonis Haslem, finished with a 52-30 record. Wade averaged 24.1 ppg during that season, along with 6.8 ppg and 1.6 spg, earning All-Star honors for the first time.
The group won an NBA championship during the 2005-06 season, with Wade earning Finals MVP.
Back in 2019, while speaking with Sports Illustrated, Dwyane Wade opened up on Shaquille O'Neal's big trade to Miami, saying:
"I was like no way. I was like to me it's a joke like Shaquille O'Neal's not about to get traded from the Lakers, it's not happening like this is. Shaquille O'Neill, this is one of the best players of all time. Like there's no way it's happening. So I kind of just brushed it off."
Once the trade happened, Wade remembers being baffled by the news, questioning whether it was real.
"Is this real? and I remember when I felt it was real when I walked on the ESPYs red carpet and before they announced me, they said Shaquille O'Neal's new teammate Dwyane Wade and everybody was aahhhh. I was like oh my God, I am Shaquille O'Neal's teammate like it was crazy."
Shaquille O'Neal's reflection on his time in Miami with Dwyane Wade
As Wade explained, when Shaq first got to Miami, he said he knew he would make it to the Hall of Fame. In the 2003-04 playoffs, O'Neal was impressed with Dwyane Wade's game, comparing him to Penny Hardaway and Kobe Bryant.
He stated in 2021 during an appearance on The Players' Tribune's 'Knuckleheads Podcast:'
“So at 3 (championships), I was like ‘You know, I’m good, Imma go on and just play my career out.’ And then they disrespect me again. Trade me. So I go into the office and I flex my power again. I say ‘Okay, you wanna trade me, but I’m going to Miami!
“Cuz I saw something in D-Wade. I saw a mixture of Penny and Kobe, but he didn’t have no help with him. So you get me down there with him getting double or triple teamed and that’s going to open it up for him.”
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