Moments after their final battle, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade literally gave each other the shirts off their backs.
The former teammates exchanged jerseys, with Wade — who has announced his retirement at the end of the season — penning a personal message for James on his: “Thanks for pushing me to be greater than I knew I was.”
When they met before the 2003 NBA Draft, James and Wade could have only dreamed that their careers would unfold the way they have.
Both men are future Hall of Famers and three-time NBA champions, including two rings from when they teamed up in Miami from 2010-14.
Both would have been legends in their own rights, but joining forces took them to historic levels.
“I would’ve been very successful in this league without D-Wade,” James said, “but to accomplish what I really wanted to accomplish in this league — and that’s winning at the highest level — I needed him. And that’s why I made the jump [to Miami].”
It has been eight years since James made “The Decision” that lit the NBA world ablaze. Even when their Heat superteam was cast as the league’s unquestioned villains, James and Wade kept their faith in one another.
The result was back-to-back titles and four straight NBA Finals appearances for one of the most iconic teams of all-time.
“We did it our way,” LeBron said. “We didn’t care about the narrative, or what people did before us, or what people said during or said now. We did it our way. It was an unbelievable ride.”
But the relationship between James and Wade extends far beyond 94 feet of hardwood. LeBron refers to Dwyane’s son, Zaire, as his “nephew,” and sung Wade’s praises for fighting to win custody over his two boys back in 2011.
He couldn’t pick a single moment between the two that meant most to him, but James was all gratitude when reflecting on how Wade welcomed him into Miami.
LeBron was only 25 years old when he “took his talents to South Beach” — a choice that separated him from Northeast Ohio for the first time in his life.
“I appreciate more than I can express in words what he did for me when I went down to Miami,” James said. “I spent 25 years of my life in Akron, Ohio. I spent 18 years going through high school, and then the first seven years of my professional career I was still living in Akron, Ohio. That’s all I knew.”
By then, Wade was already arguably the greatest player in Heat franchise history, having led them to their first championship in 2006 and won the 2009 scoring title.
Wade’s willingness to cede much of the team over to James — who was both regular-season and Finals MVP for both championships together — told LeBron a lot about his character.
“For me to move down to a place that was foreign to me and my family and him to open up that franchise, that city for me and my family and make it so seamless,” James said, “… I give so much [credit] to him. It just shows what kind of guy he is.”
So, four years after their final game together, Wade and James lined up as opponents for the last time.
The two icons entered Monday’s game tied in their all-time series, splitting the 30 games they had gone head-to-head.
“I didn’t even realize that we were tied 15-15 coming into today’s game until this morning,” James said. “It’s storybook. We got great writers here in Hollywood, and I don’t even know if they’d be able to write this one.”
The way game 31 unfolded was certainly straight out of the cinema. Dwyane provided 15 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, while LeBron countered with 28 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.
While James provided more in the box score, the teams were glued together down the stretch. Up by one with 22 seconds left, LeBron stepped to the free throw line, where Dwyane lobbied for him to make it a winner-take-all final possession.
“I said, ‘Bro, just miss it so I can shoot the game-winner,’” Wade said. “‘Me and you one-on-one. Just let me shoot it.’”
James joked that we would shoot them with his eyes closed, but instead cashed both shots. That left Wade seeking a 3-pointer for the tie.
Miami got one more chance to level the game, but that missed as well, with James celebrating by embracing Wade for the final time as competitors.
From start to finish, it was a made-for-the-big-screen kind of night.
It was an event befitting an arena like STAPLES Center, both men agreed.
“I thanked [James] for bringing us to this stage for our last hurrah,” Wade said.
Wade plans to spend a lot of his retirement time in Los Angeles. James responded that he is always welcome to come work out with him at the Lakers’ UCLA Health Training Center.
And while the legendary duo had previously played together in Miami and (briefly) Cleveland, their last dance was on a set that only Hollywood could provide.
“There’s only one building that could’ve even embraced that moment,” James said, “and that’s STAPLES Center. We all got a treat tonight. Not only us two as competitors and as brothers, but everyone who was here tonight.”