Have Dwyane Wade and LeBron James been selfish players? Kendrick Perkins has accused the duo of this in his claims that the two players did not attempt shots at the end of quarters to preserve their field-goal percentages. However, James’ agent, Rich Paul’s statement during his recent appearance on Gil’s Arena, defies these claims.      

Appearing on the show, Paul spotlighted Wade as an “extremely selfless” player mentioning his friendship with the King. “There was automatically a respect for one another to where, when there were hard times, could take on the challenge of holding LeBron accountable,” he said. Paul further highlighted the issue star players face — making things about individual selves — in co-existing on the same team.

“And the reason why that worked is because D-Wade was selfless enough. He had enough awareness to understand, no, this needs to be about us,” he added. LeBron James’ agent further mentioned how this reflected on Wade as not just a player, but a good person. Paul believes this approach could be helpful, as usually people grow up learning that everything is about them. “Nobody is successful by themselves,” he said.

However, this is not to say Bron and Dwyane Wade never had their differences.

There was an instance in the 2011 finals between Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat when Wade yelled at LeBron. “I knew our relationship. I knew I could talk to Bron, because he could talk to me the same way. We ain’t sensitive…” Wade said in an episode of Point Forward in 2023. The incident goes back to Game 3 of the finals, when Mavs and Heat were tied at 1-1.

The yelling was because the 3x NBA champ did not feel Bron was playing his best basketball. “That moment may not have been for that finals, but the next finals, and the next finals, and the next finals,” Wade added. And although Heat lost that final series, the team won the next two consecutive NBA championships.

Analyzing Kendrick Perkins’ allegations against LeBron James and D-Wade

The ESPN analyst believes that the practice of not making shots at the end of the quarter was started by the duo to enhance their FG percentage. However, a recent article by Heat Nation states Wade was making 19.6 shots per contest before James landed with Heat.

This number dropped to 14.1 shots per game in season 2013-14 with James on the team. This indicates a sense of teamwork and not making things about himself, as stated by Rich Paul. Apart from this, LeBron was also averaging impressive numbers in assists in Heat, reciprocating the intent Wade had.

Would these stats and Rich Paul’s claims mean Kendrick Perkins’ allegations against the two stars may be misguided? What’s your opinion of the entire issue? Let us know your views in the comments.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.