Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade Bury Lasting Rivalry

Dirk Nowitzki and Dywane Wade settle their differences before the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony

For years, a personal dislike between Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki and the Miami Heat existed, particularly during the “Big Three '' era.

But with Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade heading into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next weekend, it seems both sides have buried it. In a recent interview with Dallas Morning News, Nowitzki revealed his current relationship with Wade.

“Obviously we’ve gone through a lot, some ups and downs,” Nowitzki said. “But at the end of the day he is one of the greatest players ever to play the game, so it’s an honor to have him in the class.”

How did the two legends finally let bygones be bygones? Over a meal in Houston, Texas.

“‘We sat together with his family during one of the dinners, and we talked,” he said. “And so I think it’s going to be great. I think there’s a lot of mutual respect there now. I know we’ve gone through some stuff in our careers, but at the end of the day not everybody you compete against at the highest level can be friends. It’s just not how it works. I think there were some things said on both sides that weren’t liked by the other side but you know what? This is 20-something years later now, almost. So there’s really no hard feelings, and it’s gonna be a fun week with him”

The rivalry stemmed from the 2011 NBA Finals between the Heat and Mavericks. In the Mavericks’ Game 4 victory, Nowitzki reportedly played with a fever. Several days later, a video went viral of Wade and LeBron James mocking him with fake coughs.

Nowitzki’s ex-teammate, JJ Barea, knew how personal the rivalry was. In December 2022, he joined JJ Redick’s The Old Man And The Three podcast to dive deeper in.

“But when LeBron and Wade started making fun of him by coughing when he got a little sick, that clip really hurt him,” Barea said. “He will never say it, but he really saw the tape, and that tape really hurt him, and that gave him a little bit extra that he didn’t need, but it gave him a little extra to finish them off.”

It’s great to see peace between Nowitzki and Wade but there was a time it seemed impossible.

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Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.