Inside The Heat

Miami Heat Legend Dwyane Wade Reveals Biggest Hurdle For Team USA In Olympics

Shandel Richardson

Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA forward Lebron James (6) and guard Anthony Edwards (5) speak on the bench in the fourth quarter against Canada in the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA forward Lebron James (6) and guard Anthony Edwards (5) speak on the bench in the fourth quarter against Canada in the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports / Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
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Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade once played alongside All-Stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

So he knows all about stacked teams.

Despite the three stars, the Heat needed contributions from Mike Miller, Ray Allen and Udonis Haslem to win two titles in four straight appearances in the NBA Finals from 2010-14. That's why Wade sees the lack of role players as the toughest challenge for Team USA this summer in the Olympics in Paris.

Sure, there's James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant but who is going to do the dirty work?

“Now I look at the challenges of the mentalities of all of these avengers,” Wade said during an appearance on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast with Carmelo Anthony. “Because now is about to get real and they’re going to have to find out in a short period of time, everyone that will play and not play is going to have to figure out how to be a star but in the role that you have to play for the team for them to be successful.”

Wade said Olympic teams of the past had a better mix of stars and role players. In 2008, the team featured the likes of Michael Redd and Tayshaun Prince. They were dubbed the "Redeem Team" before capturing the gold medal in Beijing.

"I see Bron, I see Steph, I see KD and the list goes on and on," Wade said. "I'm like, `Damn, that's a squad.' But then I know what that squad got to do to bring that gold back and it's a little harder because they have a squad. We had a squad but we had the right amount of role players at the same time with Michael Redd and Tayshaun Prince."'

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here