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NBA History: 25 best sidekicks of all time

ByHans Themistode|
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Ranking the 25 best NBA sidekicks of all time: 12. Dwyane Wade

Don’t listen to the narratives surrounding the early portion of Dwyane Wade’s career. He was not, I repeat, was not the sidekick to Shaquille O’Neal. The three played more than three seasons together and while Shaq was the bigger name, it was Wade who had the better game.

During his time on the Miami Heat, Shaq averaged 19.6 points, 9.1 boards, and 1.9 blocks. Very good numbers without question but Wade was on another level. The near Heat lifer dropped 25.8 points a game to go along with just a shade under seven assists during his time with Shaq.

Wade was simply the man when Shaq was around but he took a clear step back once the Heat got their hands on LeBron James. In their first year together in 2011, we still consider Wade the better player. James was brand new to the team and didn’t want to step on any toes. If you believe James was the better of the two in year one, just take a look at their NBA Finals numbers in 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks.

James averages: 17.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 6.8 apg, 47.8%, 
Wades averages: 26.5 ppg, 7 rpg, 5.2 apg, 54.6%

Yet, after losing those Finals, Wade publicly admitted that James was the better player. From there, Wade fell into his role as the number two man. He was no longer a player capable of dropping 30 a night. Instead, he went on to average 20.7 points per game in their final three seasons together. The end result was a positive one as Wade and James led the Heat to back-to-back titles.