Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade are two of the greatest players in NBA history.
Both have made huge impacts on the sport of basketball, both are champions and both will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year.
Unfortunately, Nowitzki and Wade have some shared history that led to bad blood forming between them. Neither man has tried to hide it.
Nowitzki never forgot how Wade and LeBron James treated him in 2011 – specifically when they mocked him and seemingly accused him of faking an illness.
These days the pair is cordial. But are they friends?
Nowitzki addressed that over the weekend during an appearance on Marc Stein’s podcast.
“I wouldn’t say we’re friends,” Nowitzki said.
“I think there’s a mutual sense of respect for each other’s career and obviously were cordial. There’s no bad blood, obviously, anymore.
“We all moved on, things were said on both sides or done that neither side liked, but that’s part of competition at the highest level.”
Wade is no stranger to having beefs with people. Between his tiff with Kevin Love and his relationship with Draymond Green, it has just been one thing after another.
And that’s to say nothing of his ongoing back-and-forth with Paul Pierce. Though, to be fair, Pierce started that one by saying he would have won more championships had he played with the level of talent that Wade had the opportunity to play with.
“Rent is expensive and I’m living rent free…it’s documented, I don’t need to say anything…I went and got my Avengers…”
– @DwyaneWade finally responds to Paul Pierce’s comments on who in fact had the better career. #HeatCulture
https://t.co/UYp07snQ73
… pic.twitter.com/RPBRaP5gv3— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) August 8, 2023
“Listen, rent is expensive in America, and I’m living rent free right now. So let him keep—I like living rent free,” Wade said of Pierce in response.
Wade is undeniably one of the greatest to ever play the game.
The Seattle Seahawks are having themselves quite the offseason. https://t.co/47PT3QpkuF
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 9, 2023
Ditto for Nowitzki.
Obviously fans want all their heroes to be best friends, but sometimes that’s just not the case.
Will Nowitzki’s relationship with Wade ever improve? Time will tell.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
