The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares
By Cal Durrett
Greatest NBA Player #46: Dwyane Wade-120.71
At the 46th spot and appearing way sooner than many expected is Dwyane Wade. After a strong rookie season, the Miami Heat acquired Shaquille O’Neal, and they suddenly transformed into title contenders. In just his third season in the NBA, Wade led the Heat to the NBA Finals and helped stage a comeback against the Dallas Mavericks. He led the Heat back from a 2-0 deficit—nearly a 3-0 deficit had it not been for Gary Payton—and the Heat to their first championship.
After that title, the Heat struggled to make it back to the Finals and later traded Shaq, giving the keys to the team to Wade. He didn’t disappoint. From age 23 to 29, he was a top-10 caliber player in the NBA, averaging 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.6 assists, as well as 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks in that span. Equally as important, he recruited LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Miami, where they would make it to the NBA Finals four straight times and win back-to-back titles.
Once LeBron left for Cleveland, Wade began to steadily decline and left Miami for Chicago, then Cleveland, before returning to the Heat to finish his career. At his best, he was an elite slasher who could find creative ways to attack openings and also draw fouls at a high rate. He also relied more on a mid-range game than shooting threes and racked up plenty of steals and blocks thanks to great timing.
Wade’s lack of 3-point shooting, as well as missing significant time due to injury, definitely hurt him in these rankings. In fact, he missed at least 20 games in a season eight times in 17 years. Had he managed to stay a bit healthier, he could’ve easily cracked the top 30 in win shares, but he is still a top-30 player all-time.