Dwyane Wade on Breaking Kobe Bryant’s Nose: “I Was in the Post and He Was Hitting Me a Little Way, Grabbing Me and Fouling Me. I Didn’t Think That Was Necessary.”

While talking about the greatest shooting guards of all time, some of the most commonly used names are Dwyane Wade, James Harden, and Kobe Bryant. One of the banana boat buddies who left his legacy in the city of Miami with three incredible championships was Wade. While greats like Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James came and went from the Miami Heat, but for Wade, the Heat were family.

He announced his retirement in 2019, marking the end of an incredible 16 year NBA career. In his stellar career, Wade guarded some greats like Steve Nash and James Harden. And naturally, things got too heated and physical sometimes on the court. In an interview with the Washington Post, Dwyane Wade spoke about some intense matchups he faced in his career. One such incident he mentioned was with the Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant.

Dwyane Wade talks about his most famous tussle with Kobe Bryant

While recalling how he felt about famously breaking Bryant‘s nose in an All-star game, Wade said “Kobe and I were having a little All-Star Game battle. I was in the post and he was hitting me a little way, grabbing me and fouling me. I didn’t think that was necessary. When we got on the other end, I was trying to foul him hard, just like I felt he was doing to me. The refs weren’t calling it. I wanted the refs to see it.”

However, he does not justify what he did. Rather, he is remorseful about it. He says, “Of course you don’t go out there to break someone’s nose. I ended up hitting him in the wrong spot and broke his nose. I felt so bad.”

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However, when Wade called him after the game, this is what he told him. Wade said “he was like: “I love it. Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you in a couple days.” The conversation was very short.” 

And indeed Kobe Bryant came back stronger and led the Lakers to a victory over Wade’s Heat. Indeed, the mamba was legendary.

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