From embattled rivals to now old war buddies of the game – it was a full circle moment for Dirk Nowitzki as he flipped a new, much more positive chapter in his storied connection with Dwyane Wade prior to their upcoming Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement.
Nowitzki revealed to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News that he even “actually bonded” with his former main nemesis in Houston in early April when they were announced as members of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.
“We sat together with his family during one of the dinners, and we talked,” Nowitzki said. “And so I think it’s going to be great. I think there’s a lot of mutual respect there now.
“I know we’ve gone through some stuff in our careers, but at the end of the day not everybody you compete against at the highest level can be friends. It’s just not how it works.”
Nowitzki added: “I think there were some things said on both sides that weren’t liked by the other side, but you know what? This is 20-something years later now, almost. So there’s really now hard feelings, and it’s gonna be a fun week with him.”
Both Nowitzki and Wade are intertwined with each other as they clashed twice on the basketball’s biggest stage with pure narratives and drama. Wade drew the first blood of their matchup in the 2006 NBA Finals by marvelously leading the Miami Heat to its first NBA title, while Nowitzki responded five years later for the Dallas Mavericks by pulverizing the superteam squad that featured the ex-All-Star guard, LeBron James and Chris Bosh en route to one of the most historic individual runs the league has ever seen.
It was notable that before Game 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals, both Wade and James seemingly mocked Nowitzki’s 102-degree fever. From the viewpoint of teammates Caron Butler and J.J. Barrea, that moment served as the extreme reason for Nowitzki to pull the finisher against the Heat.
But while he found the actions a “little disrespectful” on his part, Nowitzki claimed in a Yahoo! Sports interview last year that Wade and James’ gestures didn’t entirely motivate him to perform on the title series.
Both Nowitzki and Wade hung their jerseys at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season and were even honored by the association as special team roster additions in the All-Star Game.
“Obviously we’ve gone through a lot, some ups and downs,” Nowitzki added. “But at the end of the day he is one of the greatest players ever to play the game, so it’s an honor to have him in the class.”
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will officially be immortalized this Aug. 12 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Joining both Nowitzki and Wade at the honoring event are Gregg Popovich, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, and Becky Hammon.
