Heat legend Dwyane Wade and LeBron James didn't like the fact that Lakers legend Kobe Bryant won his fifth ring
Nov 19, 2023 11:46 am
In 2010, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers reigned supreme in the NBA, having won their second consecutive championship and Bryant's fifth overall. While Bryant was attaining the pinnacle of success, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James were unable to break through despite having varyingly successful seasons with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively, during the 2009-10 season.
Thus, when the time came for two of the most prominent players from the 2003 NBA Draught class to enter free agency, winning a championship became one of their top priorities. Wade and James joined forces with the Heat to avoid falling behind Kobe Bryant in terms of legacy.
"As I observed Kobe Bryant seize the ball and celebrate, I asked LeBron James, 'What are you going to do? That was our summer of free agency, they were dominating, like Kobe was earning all these rings," the Heat legend said on the Skweek Show by Tony Parker. "I was like, 'Wait a minute. Now he has five and we have one?' Absolutely not. […] That altered the standings."
