The 2003 NBA Draft was undoubtedly one of the most stacked outlook classes in league history.
After all, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosch and others found their class.
Clearly, as these stars began their NBA journey, there was always the question of who would be the first player to lift the glorious Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Many were hoping that James would become the first player in his career to reach this milestone, but it was Miami Heat Star D-Wade who led his team to the 2006 NBA Championship.
Over the years, Wade, James and Mello formed an incredible friendship. In fact, with the addition of Chris Paul, the four stars are commonly known as the crew of the “banana boat.”
Obviously, the group has their own way of joking with each other. Speaking of which, Wade recently revealed how he succumbed to the 2006 NBA title in front of LBJ and Anthony.
“I was probably annoyed by hell for my friends. Right after the 2006 Championship, LeBron had a bike in Cleveland, and I was there,” Wade said for the remission of my take podcast.
Being a member of the heat and attending an event in Cleveland was not exactly a wise decision. Wade knew this, but found out that Anthony would be attending along with James, so he still went to the event.
“After winning the championship, I won’t go to Biketon in Cleveland, I’ll go elsewhere, and I knew Mello was there.
Now, it is one way to ensure that his friends know his achievements.
When Wade and James formed the partnership in 2010, the decision was met with great criticism. After all, James was joining forces with a star who had already won the NBA Championship as the best player on the team.
Yes, there’s no doubt that even on his side, Wade was a much better player on Heat’s roster in 2006.
He averaged 28.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in Heat, which has over 23 contests. Obviously, D-Wade won the NBA Finals MVP Award after beating the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 final.
Given how well Wade played that season, it’s no surprise that he didn’t get in the way to bend the championship ring in front of members of the banana boat crew.