Dwyane Wade Opens Up On Experience Playing Against LeBron James, Leaves Door Open For Reunion

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James have one of the most entertaining and meaningful friendships in the NBA.

Ahead of tonight’s game, Dwyane Wade sounded off on what it’s like to play with and against LeBron James. James, who is widely known as Wade’s best friend in the NBA.

Their friendship, which started during pre-draft workouts in 2003, has seen James team up with Wade and being the league’s villain. It’s seen James at rock bottom and his subsequent triumph in the beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals for his first championship.

Their friendship led them from postgame pressers at the podium to heartfelt goodbyes as they emerge from a private jet. It’s led to banana boats, a sit-down with the Cleveland front office, Pat Riley’s ire, James picking the meal for Wade instead of Wade’s wife, actress Gabrielle Union. It led to James being on the plane with Wade as Riley snubbed a long-standing pillar of the Miami Heat franchise.

So it makes sense that for Wade and James, playing against each other is different than any other game.

As for the team that Wade will play against, he’s right to believe that James’ Cleveland Cavaliers are the measuring stick. Maybe not for the last thousand years but certainly since he and James joined forces in 2010.

Wade and James, who haven’t shut the door on a reunion, could have been teammates with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah with the Chicago Bulls when James was making his first free agency decision.

There’s no doubt in my mind that would have been one of the most talented team’s of all-time. It wasn’t until the Miami Heat began using Chris Bosh at center against the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs that “small-ball” began to take over the NBA. So, the lack of elite three-point shooting on the perimeter wouldn’t have mattered as much. In addition, James’ desire to have shooters on his team would have seen the Chicago Bulls shuffling many three-point specialists in-and-out of Chicago. Maybe even Ray Allen.

Still, that’s all speculation. In reality, tonight James and Wade will face off against each other with their hometown teams. Both are the generals of their troops and have the championship pedigree that allows them to lead with confidence.

The Chicago Bulls are 10-7 and facing off against the Cleveland Cavaliers who are 13-4. Both teams are coming off a loss to a Los Angeles team, with the Cavs having suffered a 19-point drubbing at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers last night. Both players would like to see how their team responds.

The pregame routine for this game might be a bit different though as James, who is typically a classy and snazzy dresser, will be sporting anything but what you might expect for a player to be wearing before a basketball game. In honor of his bet against Wade, in which James bet that the Cleveland Indians would defeat the Chicago Cubs in the World Series, James will be wearing a full Cubs uniform.

If Wade gets to tell the tale of the story, fans are in store for a heck of a sight. Nonetheless, those who just want to see the defending champs take on Wade, Jimmy Butler and the Chicago Bulls are likely in for a heck of a sight as well when two old friends and future Hall of Famer players face each other for the first time this season.

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What do you think of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James’ friendship? Do you think they’ll ever team up again? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.