It isn’t a secret that LeBron James is the greatest player from the 2003 NBA Draft. However, he is far from the only elite-level talent from the historic draft class. One of the best players was the fifth pick, Dwyane Wade. The Miami Heat legend made a name for himself long before James came to South Beach. His coming-out party came in the 2006 NBA Finals.
Aside from Darko Milicic, Dwyane Wade was the first of the top five picks of the 2003 NBA Draft to reach the Finals. In 2006, Wade led the Heat to the franchise’s first Finals appearance at just 24 years old. The roster also consisted of legendary big man Shaquille O’Neal, yet everyone knew it was Wade’s team.
One of the first people to stamp Wade as the team’s best player was Heat head coach Pat Riley. However, Riley didn’t stop there. His belief in Wade’s talent was far greater than just the best player on the team’s roster.
“I always say that at that time in those moments, every player is the greatest player in the world,” Riley said in a conversation with Wade. “Over a period of two months, the playoffs, six weeks, whatever it was. That’s where you had landed at that time. Your third year.”
Riley wasn’t over exaggerating, Wade was exceptional in his third season. He was an MVP candidate, averaging 27.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds. In the regular season, Wade was dominant, but the Finals were a different beast.
The Heat originally began the series with the backs against the wall, down 0-2 to the Dallas Mavericks. Wade hit another gear, reaching averages of 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. His output was so emphatic that it is still among the greatest postseason performances of all time.
Of course, a stage like the NBA Finals was foreign to Wade at such an age. Riley knew of the pressure this could create for a young star and had an interesting way of igniting his inner fire.
“I used to get those text messages from you before games, and it’ll start with BIW. It set me right, though,” Wade revealed.
BIW stood for best in the world. Even if Wade didn’t fully believe the sentiment, those words began to stick to his confidence. Riley didn’t include many words, but his rationale was quite effective.
“You don’t have to give a long text to a player,” Riley said. “Most of the time, a player looks at a long text, they just won’t even read it.”
It didn’t take long for Wade to eventually play like he was the best player in the world.
Riley’s actions had a direct correlation with the Heat’s 2006 NBA championship. Eventually, Miami would add two more in 2012 and 2013. Wade’s role shifted a bit during those Finals runs, but the impact of Riley’s text messages lingered even then.
The post “Don’t Have to Give a Long Text”: Dwyane Wade Recalls Pat Riley’s Pre-Game Texts to Him During the 2006 NBA Finals appeared first on The SportsRush.
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