Shaquille O'Neal Talks Dwyane Wade In The 2006 NBA Finals

O'Neal explains Wade discovering his superpower early in his career

Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade joined forces in two different points in their career, and it resulted in a championship. 

O’Neal was coming off three championships with the Lakers and decided to team with Wade. O’Neal pushed Wade from being a great young talent to a superstar. 

O’Neal first took note of Wade’s game in the 2004 playoffs, after knocking out Baron Davis and the Hornets. O’Neal was so impressed at the time he compared Wade to former teammates Penny Hardaway and Kobe Bryant. There was pressure after O’Neal’s departure from the Lakers to prove he could win on his own and Wade was the perfect prospect. 

“Dwayne Wade reminds me of a superhero movie," O'Neal said. "He does not know he has the power until he meets a powerful figure, and they tell him, ‘Hey, you just like me”. 

Wade showcased his ability in the 2006 NBA finals when the Heat were down 0-2 to the Dallas Mavericks. Wade climbed his team out of the hole and put up one of the greatest performances in NBA finals history averaging 34.7 PPG clinching the Miami Heat’s first ever championship. 

MORE RELATED HEAT STORIES

Heat make late-season roster moves. CLICK HERE

Heat looking to move past sideline incident. CLICK HERE

Steve Kerr explains why Bam Adebayo is dominant on defense. CLICK HERE

Khristian Davis is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He is a communications major at the University of Louisville. He can be reached at khristiandavis@gmail.com or followed on Twitter @Khris_finao1