“LeBron Is the Right Leader”: Dwyane Wade Sets the Bar for Team USA, Refusing to Allow an All-Star Repeat

Team USA’s close calls in exhibition games may have got anyone worried but Dwyane Wade. The NBC commentator for men’s Olympic basketball games has revealed why these close games were good. And why is there nothing to worry about as long as the team has LeBron James. The former Miami Heat star initiated the discussion on his The Wine Down podcast by re-establishing the fact the names on Team USA are quite powerful in themselves.

He further stated he knows what these names can do by clicking together when they need to. But at the same, the 3x NBA champ also understands how hard the competition is. But he finds it a relief that Team USA has got the right leader. “I think LeBron is the right leader for that team. I think he is gonna help them but the games will be challenging as that’s how good the game… the world is,” he said. If one is to believe D-Wade’s opinion, fans would not want their team to win by a huge margin every time.

Notably, Team USA won its exhibition games against Canada and Australia with just a 6-point margin. Meanwhile, the game against South Sudan closed at 101-100. However, the positive that came out of the game was Bron ensuring his team’s victory in the final moments. And this is exactly what Dwyane Wade tried pointing out on his podcast.

He highlighted the fact that one cannot see their favorite players in the element of their greatness if the team wins every game by a 30 to 40 margin. To further double down on his point, the 13x All-Star used the 2024 All-Star game as an example. “You just seeing what you don’t like and that’s the All-Star game all over again. Up and down the floor. Dunking,” he said on the podcast.

What went wrong with 2024 the All-Star game?

The 2024 All-Star game went in as one high-scoring event with Eastern Conference coming up with 104 points in the first half itself. By the end of the game, the two sides had put up nearly 400 points combined. The East claimed a clear 25-point win over the West, closing the game at 211-186. But despite the high-scoring nature of the game, there was some criticism from the fans over social media platforms.

The netizens couldn’t care less for Karl Anthony Towns’ 50 points or 4 other players going for 30+ points. “The two most powerful sports leagues in America — the NFL & the NBA — continue to have unwatchable All-Star Games,” wrote one X user. But why so? The fans did not seem to be interested in the points that came amid a complete lack of defensive effort. And this is what D-Wade seemed to be establishing on his podcast with his argument about why close games can bring highlight moments.

Yet another example of this is just a 4-point win against Germany in the exhibition game. Although the team won with a lower margin, the fact they were trailing at 81-80 with 4 minutes on the clock is more concerning. But the moment of pressure yet again brought the leader within LeBron James. The King, taking matters into his own hands, put up the team’s final 11 points, leading to a 92-88 win. The instance not only establishes Dwyane Wade’s argument for close games but also his opinion of James as the “right leader”.

Stay tuned for more such updates. Join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.