More on this storyline
Dwyane Wade recently made a guest appearance on JJ Redick’s The Old Man & The Three podcast, and it was an opportunity for the Heat icon to get brutally honest with his thoughts on why their Big 3 garnered so much hate. Wade was quick to point out that the way they teamed up to win a title wasn’t much different from how other iconic teams did it in the past (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter): “If you think about it, no one gives backlash to any championships that Larry Bird won, that Magic Johnson won, that Michael Jordan won,” Wade said. “… You don’t win championships without playing with other guys that are great, first of all.” -via Clutch Points / August 13, 2022
Speaking on a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, the former Defensive Player of the Year made sure that Warriors teammate Stephen Curry was on his list. So was Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. Shaq, Tim Duncan, and of course, the one and only Michael Jordan rounded out Dray’s list (h/t Arjun Julka of The Sportsrush): “Shaq at the 5, Steph at the 1,” Green started. “I got LeBron James at 3, Timmy D at the 4, and if you think I was gonna have anyone other than MJ as the 2, you gotta be out of your mind. Although I must say Kobe was a very close 2nd from being on my starting 5.” -via Clutch Points / August 12, 2022
Former Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal, who himself is an all-time great, recently spoke out about how Kobe was motivated by none other than the GOAT himself, Michael Jordan. According to Shaq, Bryant just had to do everything in his power to try and one-up his idol: “Kobe emulated his game after Mike,” Shaq said. “And every time Mike scored he knew he had to score. That’s what you do when you go against a great player, aka your idol.” -via Clutch Points / August 12, 2022