Dwyane Wade and LeBron James formed one of the best one-two punches in the NBA during their time playing together on the Miami Heat, but the dynamic of their long-standing relationship is much different in 2025.
Wade, 43, retired from the NBA in 2019. James, 40, has continued playing into his 22nd professional season, fulfilling his dream of playing alongside his son, Bronny James, on the Los Angeles Lakers this season.
Meanwhile, Wade has embarked on a career in the sports media world, putting him in a position where he is often required to critique his old friend and teammate.
Their relationship did not get in the way of Wade calling out James on Carmelo Anthony's "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast in the wake of James' public beef with Stephen A. Smith over his coverage of Bronny James.
"We've never seen LeBron do that," Wade said, referring to James' face-to-face confrontation with Smith at the Lakers-Knicks game on March 6. "He's always been even-keeled and level-headed in every aspect."
Stephen A. Smith begins First Take confirming that LeBron James confronted him at last night's Lakers game over comments about Bronny James.
"That wasn't a basketball player confronting me, that was a parent, that was a father." pic.twitter.com/QTWmScRIGF
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 7, 2025
The Miami Heat legend said that he talked to Smith after the confrontation. Wade told the ESPN host that he believed James checking him in public was "a sign of respect."
Wade said that as a father, he understood James' desire to "crash out" over his son. However, that did not exempt him from criticism for fueling the media frenzy over Bronny that Smith took part in.
Melo & D-Wade peel back the layers of LeBron & Stephen A. Smith's viral confrontation pic.twitter.com/5AQI1GJB7t
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) March 14, 2025
"Bron is my guy, but Bron did put some extra heat on Bronny," Wade said bluntly on "7PM in Brooklyn."
He referenced a post from the Lakers star on X about his son from March 6, 2023, when James said, "Man Bronny definitely better than some of these cats I've been watching on league pass today." At the time, his son was still in high school.
Ultimately, Wade was able to carefully play both sides on one of the most controversial topics in the NBA right now.
His relationship with James gave him the confidence to call out his old teammate for his role in the public spat, while acknowledging that he would have also stepped to Smith if he was put in a similar situation.
Related: Dwyane Wade's Message to Stephen A. Smith After Lakers-Knicks
Related: Stephen A. Smith Praised For Blunt LeBron James Message During Lakers-Celtics
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 4:38 AM.