Miami media had two different themes surrounding Dwyane Wade when two big stars came to the team. When Shaquille O’Neal arrived bearing three championships and multiple finals appearances, D-Wade learned to be the Robin to his Batman. When LeBron James came to Miami, 2010 media claimed it was D-Wade’s team and Bron was the Robin. Until they lost the 2011 Finals. In the Big3’s second year, Wade had to make a decision. Something, 12 years later he labels was ‘selfish’ of him in conversation with then teammates, Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller.

During his much-anticipated appearance on The OGs podcast, the Big3 of Miami Heat was the main discussion. There was a lot of hype when LeBron James and Chris Bosh arrived in South Beach to team up with Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem. However, the opposite of the hype happened when the Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks.

UD and Miller knew what was going on in Wade’s mind at that time, but The Flash is talking about how he recalibrated for year 2 of the Big3. “When you make certain decisions, certain moves for yourself… those are selfish decisions. And it’s not selfish in the definition that people like to make ‘selfish.’ This is a selfish decision for yourself.”

The ‘selfish’ decision Dwyane Wade made to save his career in Miami was to step down from a leadership role and defer to James. “I made a selfish decision for my career and my longevity by saying, ‘alright Bron, your show. I figured out.’ Because here’s the thing, we lose in year two, you know who ain’t here? The older superstar of the three.”

Although Wade and Bron were in the same draft class, the former had seniority in Miami and was the face of the team. Moreover, with the hype that surrounded the Big3, Bosh’s health, UD’s and Miller’s injuries, and other factors, Wade’s head was on the chopping block. So Wade decided to play Robin to Bron’s Batman.

With the King as the leader, Miami made four straight finals appearances and won two consecutive titles. It wasn’t easy for Wade to step back but he did have experience in that role.

Shaq taught Dwyane Wade to lead the team

Two decades after winning Miami Heat its first championship, Shaquille O’Neal claims, “I knew that, you know, he [Wade] was a young gunner. So when I came here I decided to let him go, and I was going be, you know, second option. And I was good with that and, you know, he’s a great player, unselfish player. He’s the best in the world, D-Wade.”

Indeed Shaq brought out the best in Wade, but objectively he wasn’t the second option he claims to be. Unlike the battle of egos he had with Kobe Bryant in LA, Shaq and Wade apparently defered to each other. “With Shaq, I learned how to be Robin to his Batman and then become Batman,” Wade said before.

It was truly obvious it was D-Wade’s team in the first home game of the 2006 finals, when he carried the team through the fourth quarter. It was a turning point for Miami in the series that ended in their favor. It remained that way when Bron came to Wade County. But the stakes were higher for him and to ensure they succeeded, D-Wade went back into the role for another superstar.