In the 35+ years of the Miami Heat franchise, there has been no greater team than the formation of the Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh Big Three. From historic moments, to highlight dunks and two championships— the “Heatles” era was must-see TV for any NBA fan.
As Heat Nation has reached over a full decade since the last time the trio played, Wade recently brought some of the memories back from the legendary era.
The Hall of Famer spoke with Candace Parker in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report, and shared some untold stories within the greatest era of Heat basketball in franchise history.
This included his view on the iconic photo of Wade passing the ball to LeBron James for a slam dunk in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Some fans have believed to this day that it was an alley oop pass, but Wade set the record straight otherwise.
Dwyane Wade on iconic 2010 play with LeBron:
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 16, 2025
'It don't matter how many times I say this. People don't understand that was not a lob... I threw a bounce pass'
(via Trophy Room with Candace Parker) @att pic.twitter.com/gJ5GR9jwgl
He even explained the process that led to the infamous “Decision” by James, which was nationally aired on ESPN. Millions of viewers held their breath to witness the free agent move from the greatest player in the entire association.
Leading up to the live airing, James’ eventual co-stars in Wade and Bosh recently committed to Miami within the same few days. It was a difficult career-altering offseason for the trio, who had to assess between several contending teams that expressed interest in the free agents. Bosh decided to part ways with the Toronto Raptors after being drafted by the organization and playing seven seasons there.
The trio built an off-the-court connection in the years prior by playing together on multiple All-Star squads and Team USA in the Olympics. All three were marquee names featured in the stacked 2003 draft class.
Of course, James ultimately spurned the Cleveland Cavaliers and instead “took his talents to South Beach.” The rest was history.
Dwyane Wade on LeBron's 'The Decision':
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 16, 2025
'July 4 we all got on the phone and decided that we're gonna do this. Chris [Bosh] and I signed July 7 and LeBron was gonna sign July 8... [Then] LeBron stopped answering his phone.' 😅
(via Trophy Room with Candace Parker) @att pic.twitter.com/tSn6iazP78
That Miami core reached the NBA Finals in each of their four seasons together. Courtesy of an all-time Ray Allen clutch moment, they secured back-to-back titles in the years of 2012 and 2013.
Those championships came against the hands of the rising Kevin Durant-led OKC Thunder and San Antonio Spurs’ dynasty, respectively.
In the 2012-13 campaign, the Heat went on a 27-game winning streak (second largest win streak in NBA history) on route to the league’s top seed. Wade, James and Bosh each made the All-Star team in all four seasons they played together. Unfortunately, that core was split up in the summer of 2014, where James announced he would be returning to his hometown Cavaliers.