Dwyane Wade Had to Psych Himself Up Before Trying to Defend Kobe Bryant

Ricardo Klein | Nov 24, 2024

March 4, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) controls the ball against the defense of Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

In the NBA, there is never a lack of star power. NBA players are arguably the most recognizable athletes, not only because of what the NBA provides for them but also because fans get to see their faces.

They are easily recognizable, and that applies more so to the stars who made the league what it is today, including NBA Hall of Famers Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant.

These two all-time guards had some legendary battles together, and while Bryant may be better all time, Wade had his moments against the Black Mamba. These battles were must-sees, but Wade understood he needed to get into another gear to face Bryant, and he discussed one time he was not prepared.

Wade appeared on the OG Show, hosted by former NBA players and teammates Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. Wade shared a story about how he had to guard Kobe out of the blue.

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Wade often gave his opponents hell, but he knew things would be different once he faced Bryant. Bryant would give it 100 percent tall tiem time, whether it was a preseason game or a measly game in December. You couldn't tell the difference, which is one of the reasons why Bryant was such a tough match-up night in and night out.

Wade wasn't a slouch, but he knew he had to get in a certain mental space to face the likes of Bryant, and there weren't that many who resembled his play style and competitiveness.

Bryant and Wade provided us with legendary battles. Wade had an 11-9 record versus Bryant in his career. However, Bryant had a number of advantages over Wade in their career, including points in which Bryant had almost twice as many points as Wade. Bryant had two more titles than Wade, and Bryant had more league MVPs than Wade as well.

As for their numbers head-to-head, Bryant leads in total games played, points per game, rebounds, three-point percentage, and free-throw percentage. Wade averaged more assists per game, steals per game, blocks per game, and field goal percentage.

Although they spent most of their time competing against one another, these two developed a relationship like no other, especially during their time together for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

They helped one another grow as players, which made their matchups in the NBA after those Olympics even more enticing. Bryant and Wade are arguably not only the best guards of this generation but the best players of this generation and of all time.

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