Udonis Haslem appeared on former All-Star Jeff Teague's podcast and revealed that Dwyane Wade once beat LeBron James in a one-on-one.
"The best I ever played with? Let me tell you something, man. It's gotta be 'Bron. But what I'm gonna say is I watched D-Wade and Bron play 1-on-1. I saw that game. D-Wade won."
Haslem then said that just because LeBron lost that 1-on-1 doesn't mean that Wade is a better player than him overall. Haslem would also say that Michael Jordan was his GOAT, but that's because he and LeBron are nearly the same age. Jeff Teague and his co-hosts maintained that they feel LeBron is the GOAT.
A Wade and LeBron one-on-one would be a must-watch given the level at which both players played. Unfortunately, we likely won't see the tape on this ever. Wade's dribbling savvy and lighter frame would be advantageous in a one-on-one situation against someone like LeBron.
Haslem has been one of LeBron's most fearless teammates, challenging the star repeatedly during their four-year stint as teammates on the Heat. He has plenty of positive stories about LeBron to share but he's not been shy about criticizing Bron when he feels it's necessary, as indicated by recent comments about Chris Bosh.
Udonis Haslem Said Chris Bosh Was More Important Than LeBron James To The Heat
Haslem ruffled some feathers when he appeared on Jeff Teague's podcast as he also spoke about Chris Bosh being more important than LeBron to the Heat's success. Haslem's argument hinged on an argument specific to the depth of the Heat at that time.
"If Bron went down, you could bring in D-Wade, and it’s not the same player, but you’re gonna get similar results. We couldn’t simulate it; we didn’t have another CB (Chris Bosh). If that motherf****r went down and got hurt, we didn't have another one of those."
It's important to be clear when this comparison is brought up, as LeBron was arguably the greatest basketball player ever from a skill-set perspective during his four years with the Heat. He was nearly winning unanimous MVPs because his dominance was unmatched. The Heat wouldn't have won any titles without LeBron, but Bosh was a crucial factor in facilitating that success.
Bosh averaged 17.3 points and 7.4 rebounds in his four years with LeBron in Miami, grabbing the series-saving rebound in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals which led to Ray Allen's game-tying shot. But Bosh also had a scoreless game in that series and often struggled against Tim Duncan. Duncan was not on the floor for that game-changing rebound in Game 6, so history does look at Bosh's contributions with a positive lens.
Haslem is talking rotationally, as the Heat's best backup center during this era was Joel Anthony. LeBron and Wade were similar players stylistically, but it isn't right to say Wade could have replicated what Bron brought to the game in his absence.
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