"We were having a parade": Dwyane Wade reveals LeBron James was merely joking in his infamous 'Not 1, Not 2, Not 3' Heat title declaration
NBA superstars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were facing immense expectations after forming a Big 3 with the Miami Heat in 2010. However, expectations surrounding the trio were only heightened following their fan introduction. This came as James proclaimed that the Heat would win “Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven” NBA titles during his tenure in Miami. However, according to Wade, James was only joking at the time.
During a recent appearance on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast, Dwyane Wade was asked what he thought when he heard James’ now-infamous remarks. Wade said that he, James and Bosh were just trying to hype Heat fans up and that they didn’t expect anyone to take the comments seriously:
“Yeah, I didn't take it seriously,” Wade said.
“Anybody out there who took that seriously, like, come on, guys, we were having a parade. We were in there with our fans, like we were in there talking. … We were doing what we do when we’re in the crib talking with our homies. … You add a little something to it, that's what he did.”
However, Wade said that fans ended up holding James to his words:
“He added a little sauce and then that sauce became, ‘Oh, we’re going to hold him to it,’” Wade said.
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It’s worth noting, though, that James made it clear that he was being serious at the time. After he said that the Heat would win at least eight titles, fans reacted with a mixture of cheers and laughter. It was at that point that James told the fans that he really believed that what he said was possible:
“And when I say that, I really believe (it),” James said.
James, Wade and Bosh, of course, did not win eight titles during their tenure together. The Heat’s Big 3 instead lasted just four seasons together from 2010 until 2014, when James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Miami went to the NBA Finals in each of James’ four seasons with the franchise. However, James and the Heat ultimately only came away with two championships (2012 and 2013).
Also read: "We were this close": Gilbert Arenas missed a golden opportunity to team-up with Dwyane Wade in 2003
Dwyane Wade on the excessive hate that the Miami Heat's Big 3 received
Later on in his podcast appearance, Dwyane Wade was asked about the excessive hate that the Miami Heat’s Big 3 experienced after teaming up in 2010. Wade said that the hate from fans was unlike anything that he had ever experienced before:
“Not in that way. I had actually never seen hate — I heard about hate, heard it about it from my ancestors, you know, stories about my ancestors. I heard about it from my mom, my dad and my uncles. I’d never seen hate until LeBron decided to come to Miami,” Wade said.
“Then I started seeing hate up close, and hate is an ugly thing.”
Wade added that the constant hate made it difficult for the Heat to enjoy playing basketball. However, he said that things started to change for the team after they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals. Wade said that this was because the team got a reality check, which helped them recalibrate and put everything into perspective:
“So, it wasn’t a joyous year to play basketball at all,” Wade said.
“One of the best things that happened to us media-wise is that we lost in the finals. … It humbled us, put us at our level, and it allowed us to focus on what was real and why we got together.”
Also read: "Oh my God! I am Shaquille O'Neal's teammate" - Dwyane Wade once revealed his surreal reaction when Shaq joined Heat