“The Decision” undoubtedly remains among the most memorable moments in NBA history, with LeBron James joining Dwyane Wade in Miami in 2010. It all started with a phone call between the two men a few weeks earlier, so that Kobe Bryant’s Lakers had just won a new title…
Still, LeBron James got burned for his departure from the Cavaliers in 2010, the winger exporting his talents to the Heat. Still, on a sporting level, the superstar’s decision stood: Cleveland was no longer able to progress collectively and he was starting to be under pressure, after seven years without winning a single title. Going to South Beach actually brought him two rings…
If there is one who does not regret this controversial move, it is Dwyane Wade. A long-time friend of LBJ, the guard had already won a title in 2006 but was able to triple that total during his freelance career with the future Hall of Famer at his side. A relief since at the time, it was the Lakers of Kobe Bryant who were marching on the NBA and Flash hoped to be able to put an end to it as soon as possible:
D-Wade’s historic phone call to LeBron in 2010
Dwyane Wade says he called LeBron James after Kobe won ring #5
« LeBron, so what you gonna do? »
« Kobe winning all these rings, now he got 5.. »(h/t @clickthatfollow )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 25, 2023
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I remember turning off my television when Kobe took the ball, I called LeBron right away. I’m not lying, I turned off the TV, I saw Kobe running, taking the ball, starting to celebrate… I said to LeBron: “Okay, what are you going to do now?” » It was the summer when we were all free agents, and they were so dominant. Kobe was winning all these rings, I was like, “Now he has 5 and I only have one?” » So yeah, you changed the league (addressing Pau Gasol, editor’s note).
The rest, we all know it. Just a few weeks after the final coronation of the Mamba’s career, D-Wade and the King reunited in Miami with Chris Bosh and formed the Tres Amigos, becoming automatic favorites for the title for the four years that followed. As for the Lakers, this will mark the start of a fairly brutal decline but it clearly shows how imposing Kobe was:
Had to gang up on the mamba
— GudPicks (@PicksGud) September 25, 2023
They had to work together to confront the Mamba
By seeing Kobe Bryant string together titles while they had to settle for crumbs, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James ended up getting fed up. Who knows, if the Lakers had not dominated so much at the time, we might never have witnessed “The Decision”… All the more ironic since the Purples and Golds began crossing the desert after that .
2023-09-25 09:10:00
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