Dwyane Wade achieved a lot more in the NBA than what people expected of him. He?s a 8x All-Star with 3 NBA championship rings and 1 NBA finals MVP. In his 17-year-long NBA career, his agility and ferocious playing style earned him the nickname ?The Flash?. In a recent podcast interview, Dwyane Wade was talking about his experience playing against a certain 41-year-old Hall of Famer in 2014.
The Miami Heat legend was at a loss for words after the humble 41-year-old Hall of Famer?s response.
Dwyane Wade stunned by Hall of Famer?s response
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In a podcast episode of the ?Skweek Show? by 41-year-old Hall of Famer Tony Parker, guest Dwyane Wade opens up about what it was like playing against the Spurs legend in the 2014 NBA finals. Dwyane Wade said, ?Normally when you play against a team, and definitely once you get to the finals, there?s going to be something (trash talk). They (San Antonio Spurs squad) didn?t talk. No sh*t.?.
He further explained, ?There was no trash talk going on. You couldn?t even get them to look at you the wrong way. They didn?t do none of that. They just played basketball. They just beat you. It was so odd because I?m so used to ?Give me something like?? but it was just who?s going to be better at basketball. Who?s going to execute better. It was a different finals, playing against them.?.
Tony Parker responds, ?Do you know why we didn?t talk trash? Because we had a lot of respect. When we played you guys, like me, I had a lot of respect for you. Lot of respect for LeBron. So that?s why I never talked trash. Because I will respect you and have an appropriate fear.?.
The humble 41-year-old Spurs legend further explains, ?We always talked about that in our locker room. Appropriate fear for whoever we are playing against. And always respect your teammates. And always respect our opponents. Like I said in D Wade?s podcast, I thought you were the GOAT. So why would I talk trash to you??.
The Spurs legend goes on to explain how his brother is the biggest Dwyane Wade fan and keeps praising the Miami Heat legend around him. Dwyane Wade was all smiles after getting such high praise from the Spurs legend. He finally adds to the conversation, ?The quietest finals I?ve ever played.?.
Le trash talk ? Pas pour les Spurs, ce qui a perturb? Dwyane Wade lors des finales
Tony Parker : ?Tu sais pourquoi on ne faisait pas de trash talk ? Parce qu’on avait beaucoup de respect.?
Via @skweektv pic.twitter.com/I3CYKawJxf
? Basket-Infos (@Basket_Infos) September 26, 2023
Dwyane ?The Flash? Wade is the kind of player who feeds off the opponent’s energy. The San Antonio Spurs team understood that in their NBA Finals loss to the Miami Heat in 2013. The Spurs won against the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA finals and so, probably made the right decision to not ?poke the bear? in the 2014 NBA finals. However, former NBA Veteran Gilbert Arenas had to learn the ?not to poke the bear? lesson the hard way.
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When Dwyane Wade made Gilbert Arenas regret trash-talking him
Gilbert Arenas was widely considered one of the biggest trash talkers in the game during his time. In the 2004-2005 season, before playing Dwyane Wade?s Miami Heat an interviewer asked him how he was feeling going into the match. Gilbert Arenas replied, ?What do I care? Dwyane can?t shoot. We just going to do what the Olympics did to him, just sit in the zone.?.
In an interview years later, Gilbert Arenas recalls what happened after he took that jab at Dwyane Wade. He made a call to the Miami Heat legend to clarify that the ‘stuff’ that was said in the newspaper was misconstrued, but it was too late. Dwyane Wade was already more than motivated to annihilate Gilbert Arenas and his team the following night. Dwyane Wade beat them with 37 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds while shooting 11 out of 16 from the field. This just goes to show the undying competitive spirit of the Miami Heat legend.
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What are your thoughts on Dwyane Wade?s experience of going up against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA finals? Let us know in the comments below!