Dwyane Wade remembers Kobe Bryant as first player to respect his shooting

Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade remembers Kobe Bryant as the first player to respect his offensive game

Dwyane Wade closed his career as one of the most respected NBA athletes of all time. He sits in a legendary-like status within Miami Heat history as one of the only players (along with Udonis Haslem) to be around for all three of the team’s titles.

He has notoriety and respect from everyone that he played against. It wasn’t always that way, though.

Rookies often have to prove themselves. Very few rookies come into the league with respect from defenses right out of the gate. Wade had to prove his offensive game before defenses respected him, especially his shooting.

Speaking to Stephen Curry on Instagram Live, Wade talked about the first player to pick him up with full-court defense, a major sign of respect for his offensive explosiveness — Kobe Bryant.

"When I first got in the leauge, Steph, I couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean… I remember when Kobe first picked me up 94 feet. Because at first he would pick me up underneath the 3-point line, go beneath two screens and let me shoot. So the moment when guys start picking me up 94 feet because they didn’t want me to touch the basketball, that’s when I was like ‘ok, I’ve got the respect now.'”"

Kobe, picking you up full court. Imagine first, the terror of that moment, but then quickly after, the feeling of success and having made it at the highest level.

In Wade’s rookie season, it did take him some time to find his shooting. He didn’t take many 3-pointers, and his true shooting percentage was below 50 percent until December.

Wade never became a volume 3-point shooter, only taking 1.8 per game throughout his career, which is something he pointed out to Curry.

"“I remember being at the 3-point line a lot and I’m like, ‘I’m not a 3-point shooter, why are guys guarding me, denying me at the 3-point line? Let me shoot it.’ But the thing is they didn’t want me to touch the ball, because when I touched the ball, you know, I was going to score, I was going to create the opportunity for one of my teammates.”"

Cocky? Nah, more like confidence. And Wade has a right to it. Averaging 22.0 points and 5.4 assists per game throughout his career, Wade, who spent most of his career with the Heat, leads the franchise in points and assists.