Stephen A. Smith: Dwyane Wade was LeBron James’ best teammate

Throughout his long NBA career, LeBron James has played alongside some of the best basketball players in the world and has won championships with many of them.

Since former teammate Kyrie Irving is playing in the 2024 NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks, it brought to mind their time together with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It also got people thinking about who James’s best running buddy has been.

According to Stephen A. Smith, it was Dwyane Wade.

“If it weren’t for Dwyane Wade, I could make a legitimate argument there would have never been a Kyrie [Irving],” said Smith. “LeBron didn’t know how to win until he got to Dwyane Wade.”

He’s right. King James did not win his first NBA championship until he arrived in Miami and played alongside Wade. They won two titles together (and went to four Finals) before LeBron returned to Cleveland and then headed to Los Angeles, winning a title each with both teams.

Wade and James were a powerful force, but in their first NBA Finals together, they lost to the Dallas Mavericks. Wade helped James mature into a leader and they went on to win two titles.

When LeBron returned to Cleveland and played alongside Irving, his leadership, along with Irving’s play, powered the Cavs to a championship.

Now, it looks like Irving is taking what he learned from LeBron and putting it to good use in Dallas.

{First Take}