Shaquille O’Neal had an instant impact on Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal had a phenomenal 19-year career in the league, with his best years spent with the Los Angeles Lakers.
After all, O’Neal won three NBA Championships while wearing the iconic Purple and Gold jersey. However, falling a very brutal fallout with Kobe Bryant, the Lakers traded Shaq to the Miami Heat in 2004.
O’Neal formed a dynamic duo with a young star in Dwyane Wade. Speaking of which, D-Wade recently talked about O’Neal’s impact on his career.
Dwyane Wade felt immense pressure after Shaquille O’Neal joined Miami Heat
It’s no secret that when O’Neal donned the Heat jersey, he was already one of the biggest stars in the league. On the other hand, Wade had just finished his rookie year.
Playing with someone of O’Neal’s stature led to Wade feeling incredible pressure as a sophomore guard.
“Pressure. That’s what came with Shaq. He was obviously dominant for so many years. I think they had just came off of multiple finals appearances in LA and championships, championships lost to the Detroit Pistons the year before.
“So now he gets traded to Miami. He’s mad, obviously, right? We heard about the beef. He comes there, and I’m like, ‘I’m coming off my first year. Just happy to be in the NBA.’ My jersey is not even in the malls yet. Like, no one knows me, like that,” D-Wade said.
Wade further added: “So I felt, a little pressure right away, right? Because I was playing with one of the most dominant players ever played, and I’ve never played with a player like that. I love my college teammates, but no one was Shaq.”
O’Neal’s arrival had a clear impact on the Heat’s performance as they finished with a 59-33 record in the 2004-05 NBA season.
On top of that, the Heat reached the Eastern Conference Finals, albeit losing against the Pistons in a seven-game series.
Wade credits O’Neal for turning him into one of the greatest players ever
Wade took a leap during the third season of his NBA career. The then-24-year-old superstar averaged 27.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game for the Heat.
D-Wade revealed how the Diesel unlocked his full potential as a superstar in the biggest basketball league in the world.
“But then after that, I turned pressure into opportunity. I was like, Man, this is what I’ve been waiting for. This is actually what I’ve been screaming to everybody, let them know that I’m actually good.
“Y’all just ain’t seen me. And I was like, Oh, they’re about to see now. And so I turned that into like, this is an unbelievable opportunity,” Wade continued.
“And Shaq, to his credit, he was amazing with me right away. He just kind of calmed me. He was like, ‘I’m gonna help you become one of the greatest players to ever play,'” Wade gave O’Neal his flowers.
The future Hall of Famer concluded: “And when someone like that sees that in you, oh, your chest is poked out. You just came from Kobe [Bryant] and Penny [Hardaway] and, like, I know your rap sheet. And so he put so much confidence in me early that I was just like, alright, well, let’s go do this. This is my opportunity.”
Wade and Shaq led the Heat to their first-ever NBA Championship in franchise history. What’s even more amazing is the fact that Wade was named the NBA Finals MVP in 2006.
Following the championship-winning run, O’Neal started declining at an alarming rate, so it made sense that the Heat to part ways with him in 2008. As for Wade, he went on to win two more rings in a Heat jersey.
