Flashback over 15 years ago in the NBA, and Dwyane Wade is playing in his sixth season in 2009. The face of the Miami Heat, and the league, as he has been named a four-time all star, entered his sixth year hoping for another strong season.
Leading the entire NBA in points per game with 30.2, and being an All-NBA, All-Defensive team, and defensive player of the year candidate, he was also an MVP candidate.
Even with all of those accolades, he fell short of winning the MVP, finishing third behind Kobe Bryant, and the man who won it that year, LeBron James.
Wade commented on an Instagram story just how impressive his 2009 season was.
"Even with a 43 win team! That's how you know the boy was hooping," said Wade talking about how he played given how his team performed.
Other than Wade, there was not a lot of impressive players on the Heat team in 2009. Barely making the playoffs before losing in seven games to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, if it wasn't for Wade, they would have been much worse.
Just two seasons later, at the start of the 2010-11 season, James would team up with Wade in Miami where the 2009 MVP would win two more awards, as well as helping the Heat win two championships.
The three-time NBA champion with the Heat would go on to play 15 of his 16 seasons in Miami, with a season long stint with Chicago and half of a season with Cleveland before coming back and retiring as a member of the Heat.
