More on this storyline
Tyrese Haliburton: I had a lot of conversations with (LeBron James), (Dwyane) Wade and (Carmelo Anthony) out there. Those guys all played in the 2004 Olympics and didn’t really get to play a ton or as much as they wanted to. They kind of got a little taste of being benched. So, I think it’s all a part of it. I’m not bigger than any one group, and I’m not too proud to check my ego at the door for a bigger goal. We won a gold medal, and I get to tell my kids that I was a part of one of the greatest teams ever assembled. -via New York Times / October 9, 2024
Shaq and Wade led the Heat to an NBA title against Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in 2006. O’Neal recently joined The OGs podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, revealing his conversation with Wade about his falling out with Bryant in LA. “First thing I did when I came to Miami, I said, ‘Look, you heard a lot of s*** about me. That ain’t going to happen with me and you. This is your [team]. I’m a help you; I’m a graduate, and I don’t want them to call this no Shaq vs D-Wade,” O’Neal said. “It’s your s*** already. I came here because of you because I need a m*********** like you to help me get one more.’ So, me and him never had a problem.” -via Clutch Points / September 18, 2024
Shaquille O’Neal: “When I first got to Miami, I said to D-Wade, ‘You heard a lot of stuff about me, but that’s not going to happen here. This is your team. I’m here to help you get a championship.’ I didn’t want the same issues I had with Kobe. I told Wade, ‘I came here because of you, and I need your help to get one more ring.’ We never had a problem. When we went down 0-2 in the Finals, we jumped on him. We said, ‘No, don’t look for us. You go to work.’ And he did. He took over the next four games and led us to the championship. That’s the difference between Wade and others. He had it from the beginning, and I respected him for it.” -via YouTube / September 17, 2024
