In a candid revelation on the premiere episode of “The Why with Dwyane Wade,” a co-production of iHeartPodcasts and Wade’s 59th & Prairie Entertainment, Dirk Nowitzki shared his feelings about LeBron James and Dwyane Wade’s infamous fake cough incident during the 2011 NBA Finals.
Recalling the moment, Dirk expressed his displeasure, stating, “I didn’t like it. It just, to me, it felt a little disrespectful. I’ve never had to fake an injury, I’ve never had to fake an illness to show anything. I didn’t feel well that day, had a little fever, and really that was it. I thought it was childish.”
Dwyane Wade concurred, emphasizing, “It was childish.”
Nowitzki explained that despite his discomfort, he didn’t want the incident to distract from the pivotal Game 5 of the Finals, where the Dallas Mavericks were just two games away from achieving their championship dream.
Wade provided insight into the team’s perspective, mentioning, “…in our minds, we [are] in control…so all the talk back to us is ‘Well, Dirk is sick, Dirk’s hand is this,’ …in our mind we were tired of hearing about Dirk. We’re up 2-0, why do y’all keep talking about him being sick? …So it became, I think, bigger. But then once you look at it you’re like alright, that was a childish moment, it was captured on camera that you wish you [could] grab that moment back.”
The revelation showcases the behind-the-scenes dynamics during the intense 2011 NBA Finals and adds a new layer to the narrative of that memorable championship series.
