'The hate was because of our skin color': Dwyane Wade on Big 3

Dwyane Wade says that he believes his Heat Big 3 with LeBron James and Chris Bosh was hated so much because they were Black.

It has been many years since we last saw Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh all together on the same team. The days of the Miami Heat Big 3 are long gone, but that revolutionary group still continues to be one of the most talked-about teams in the history of the NBA.

Dwyane Wade recently made a guest appearance on JJ Redick's The Old Man & The Three podcast, and it was an opportunity for the Heat icon to get brutally honest with his thoughts on why their Big 3 garnered so much hate. Wade was quick to point out that the way they teamed up to win a title wasn't much different from how other iconic teams did it in the past (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter):

“If you think about it, no one gives backlash to any championships that Larry Bird won, that Magic Johnson won, that Michael Jordan won,” Wade said. “… You don't win championships without playing with other guys that are great, first of all.”

It was at this point where Wade decided to drop a shocking truth bomb about how the hatred for the Heat was racially motivated:

“We knew that some of the hate was because of our skin color,” he claimed. “Because of being Black men and deciding to control the fate of our careers. … So, when we had the power, when we had the moment, we took it. But some of the hate came because we were three Black guys who decided and changed the way that the NBA probably would ever be because of that decision.”

"If you think about it, no one gives backlash to any championships that Larry Bird won, that Magic Johnson won, that Michael Jordan won… You don't win championships without playing with other guys."

🗣️ @DwyaneWade

(via @OldManAndThree)pic.twitter.com/ST0KstOu7W

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) August 12, 2022

Dwyane Wade is right in saying that their decision to link up in South Beach changed the landscape of the NBA not only in that era, but for many years to come. As a matter of fact, one could argue that that monumental occurence still resonates in today's game. After all, superstars teaming up on the same squad has become the norm in terms of the path that needs to be taken to win a championship.