How Much Did Dwyane Wade Help LeBron James' Legacy?

Ex-Miami Heat player LeBron James and NBA great Michael Jordan are always mentioned in the same category. 

They are generally regarded as the top two players in league history. The older generation mostly puts Jordan at No. 1 while the new fans give the nod to James. 

James' agent, Rich Paul, recently added to the fire when he seemingly tried to diminish Jordan's accomplishments. Jordan was undefeated in six appearances in the NBA Finals. It is often the deciding factor for Jordan fans because James is just 4-6 in his 10 appearances. 

Paul appeared to downplay Jordan's achievements by saying he had plenty of help to win those titles, mainly Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen. 

“I think Scottie’s rings are the same as Michael Jordan’s," Paul said on the Game Over podcast. He was the most IMPACTFUL player on the team! If you unplug Scottie Pippen off that team, Jordan is 0-6!”

That led to dozens of responses from fans and media. ESPN's Tim MacMahon rushed to Jordan's defense. He basically said the same thing Paul said could also apply to James, who played alongside several All-Stars. 

In Miami, James was flanked by Hall of Famers Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh when they won two championships. James also won a title with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then he won another ring with Anthony Davis as his sidekick for the Los Angeles Lakers. 

All of the players mentioned will eventually land in the Hall of Fame. 

“If you unplug Dwyane Wade from the Miami Heat, LeBron doesn’t win titles there," MacMahon said. "If you unplug Kyrie from the Cavaliers, they don’t come back 3-1. If you unplug Anthony Davis from the bubble Lakers, they don’t win a championship.”

I agree with MacMahon on this one. No one from James' camp should ever accuse Jordan of playing on stacked teams when James did the same thing. 

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected]