Dwyane Wade Says He Was the ’Best Version’ of Himself During 2006 NBA Finals

The future Hall of Famer talks about the Heat’s fateful series, the craziest thing he’s ever seen Pat Riley do and more.

As he prepares for his official enshrinement into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, Dwyane Wade sat down with Sports Illustrated to discuss one of the most memorable games of his career.

Wade joined The Crossover podcast for a deep dive into Game 3 of the 2006 Finals, when he led the Heat to their first Finals game win in franchise history with a 42-point, 13-rebound effort that included a 13-point comeback in the fourth quarter. With Miami facing an 0–2 deficit, the win propelled the team for the rest of the series, as the Heat would eventually claim the championship 4–2, with Wade winning Finals MVP.

“One of the reasons I picked this game [to talk about], is because of the era we line in 2023, in the era of social media, you’re going to have people who say, ‘Ah well, he wasn’t that good,’ because they’ve only seen me toward the end,” Wade says. “This is the beginning. … This was before the injuries started to set in, before the expectations got high. … This is the real, raw version of me. This was the best version of me.”

Among other topics discussed in the episode include the legacy of the 2006 series, whether LeBron James ever emailed Wade, the craziest thing Wade has ever seen Pat Riley do and much more. The full episode can be viewed on YouTube.