Dwyane Wade Says He Regrets Cursing Out LeBron James Amid Bad Performances In 2011 NBA Finals

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade formed one of the best duos in the NBA during their four-year run in Miami. The King and Flash went to the Finals each season, winning two titles in the process.

It wasn't easy by any means, but they knew how to work things out to become successful. During a recent interview with Shannon Sharpe, Wade talked about his leadership during the 2011 NBA Finals, revealing he regrets cursing out LeBron James in that series (1:22:08 mark). 

“Obviously, LeBron struggled,” Wade said. “We talk about — he averaged 17 points a game. Players struggle. And what sucked about it is because of everything that was talked about and all this, but at the end of the day, me as a leader, Spo (Erik Spoelstra) as a head coach, we gotta do a better job to make sure that he’s not struggling."

Wade made it clear the Heat didn't play to LeBron's strengths as much as they needed to, and that hurt the King's chances to thrive against the Dallas Mavericks. 

"How we getting him the ball in certain places to make it easier for him? Because you know as a player, all you need is one thing to go your way to turn everything around. We didn’t do enough of that for a guy who was struggling for whatever the reason is."

Moreover, he admitted that the way he handled certain situations wasn't the best, and he thinks he could have done a much better job motivating and holding LeBron accountable. 

"We all have had our struggles, and so, as a leader, I looked at it myself. I was like, ‘You didn’t do enough, D.’ And you will see a clip where I’m cursing Bron out. I’m in his ear. I’m talking to him. But that probably wasn’t the way I should have done it. Maybe I should have done something else.”

The situation Wade was referring to happened in Game 3, when he was visibly upset and took it out on LeBron. 

This was a big moment for the Heat, who were ultra favorites against the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. In one of the best runs in NBA history, the Mavs won the series 4-2, upsetting the Heat and becoming NBA champions for the first time in franchise history. 

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Dwyane Wade And LeBron James Played In Four Finals Together In Miami 

That was a very painful series for Wade and James, who still tried to figure things out in the middle of the playoffs. After everything was over, Wade made sure to give James the keys to the car. 

After that moment, Miami played better, and LeBron showed his most dominant version in the NBA, winning back-to-back MVP awards for the second time in his career in 2012 and 2013, becoming the MVP of the 2010s.

The Heat would go to three more Finals, winning in 2012 and 2013, and losing in 2014 against the inspired San Antonio Spurs. Following that series, LeBron made the decision to return to Cleveland to try to bring a championship to his first team in the league. 

James finally did it after two years, and it's fair to say that all the things he learned in Miami helped him to reach a new level in Cleveland. He didn't have the best exit from the Heat, but James remains a beloved figure in South Beach. Wade made sure to embrace him, as well as the fans and the memories they made there won't ever be forgotten.

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