Shaquille O’Neal has always been as great as his on-court partners. Some of his best accolades have been as a duo, including his first three championships. When he came to Miami with the most NBA finals experience on the team, he formed a new partnership with one of the youngest future stars of Heat Culture, better known as Dwyane Wade. As history goes, Wade’s talent impressed the dominant big to take on a sidekick role without bruised egos. Two decades since this duo won Miami Heat‘s first-ever title, D-Wade is showing he’s still grateful for that confidence boost.

Wade shared a throwback to the moment right after they won the 2006 championship. Dan Patrick caught up with Shaq on the court holding his fourth Larry O’Brien trophy and asked at what point he felt like he could be the Robin to someone else’s Batman. O’Neal had given a shoutout to Wade that would put the league on notice for Miami’s representative basketball star.

“I knew that, you know, he 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”, Shaq explicitly stated.

Wade reshared the video with a statement proving what a life-changing moment that was – “And then I became Batman!” It’s significant because Wade came off his first Olympic appearance (the 2004 bronze is a dark stain on Team USA) and first All-Star appearance. Shaq led the team to the playoffs the season before and the championship next. And it would be the first and only time Wade won Finals MVP.

Shaq would go on to different teams. But Wade would take on a more obvious leadership role at Miami. He was instrumental in drawing LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Miami. He took on the Robin role to Bron but still had a significant presence within the team during its back-to-back wins in 2012 and 2013.

He gives Shaq credit for teaching him how to be the alpha dog of the team. Yet Wade underscores his role in bringing O’Neal to Miami.

Shaq’s partnership with D-Wade stood out

O’Neal’s partnerships with Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, and Wade were starkly different. He wanted to be the dominant of the former two duos. Unlike Penny though, it clashed with Bryant. He left the Lakers at the peak of tensions with Bryant. Hence, it was mildly surprising that Shaq pushed D-Wade to the front of the team.

Just before he called Wade the best player, Shaq said he knew the rookie was special from the first time he saw him play. “I knew it was my job to come here and make him [Wade] better,” he told Patrick.

It’s not just a silly X meme to say Orlando’s Superman came back to Florida to make The Flash Batman. It means a lot more to Shaq’s little bro.