Recent history has shown that Heat Culture is not for everyone. Carmelo Anthony might assert that he would have thrived in it. However, he never brought his talents to South Beach despite the possibility of teaming up with his draft class members on the Miami Heat .
The retired forward, though, experienced it firsthand when Heat legend Dwyane Wade ignored him during the shootaround before their teams' faceoff. Wade confirmed the story recently when he joined Anthony's podcast.
"Heat Culture is what Melo experienced. I talked about on the show when he said that I didn't talk to him in the shootaround," he said . "That's Heat Culture."
Heat Culture over brotherhood
Anthony teased his Banana Boat buddy that they should have had a conversation about it so that he wouldn't have been surprised when they had the opportunity to meet before the Denver Nuggets faced the Heat.
It's worth noting that Melo was playing for the "Thuggets" at the time, and they didn't have a business-like approach to preparing for contests. In contrast, Miami is known for its strict adherence to professionalism and accountability.
Wade then shared his side of the story while discussing it with Anthony and "7PM in Brooklyn" co-host Kid Mero, saying he didn't think he would chance upon his friend at shootaround.
"We going to come in right on time," the 13-time All-Star recounted about that now-famous shootaround. "If our time is at 10:00, we coming in at 10:00. So, we walk in, ... Melo and them and Kenyon Martin and all them, they in there with durags on, chains. It looked like they went from Privé Opium right to shootaround. I've never seen that."
"Now, mind you, we coming in, shirt tucked in, ankle braces on, taped. It's military-like. They in there shooting shots from the other side of the bleachers. I'm like, 'What is going on in here?' So, I ain't giving him no eye contact 'coz [Pat] Riley's pissed. ... Listen, I'm tying my shoes up, and Melo like, 'D-Wade!' I'm like, 'Nah, man. I can't do it. I can't look up. You going to get me in trouble because you acting a damn fool.'"
Funnily enough, the three-time champ also corroborated Anthony's telling that he called Melo up afterward to say that he wasn't deliberately ignoring him and that the Nuggets veterans were indeed kicking the ball into the stands to have the rookies go up and get it. Knowing that the latter part is true, it stands to reason why Riley would get mad that day.
Related: Alonzo Mourning believes that players in the NBA have become too empowered: “It’s kind of gone overboard, It’s unfortunate”
Anthony-Wade friendship
Fortunately for D-Wade, Anthony didn't harbor any ill feelings that night, although they probably went hard during the game itself to try to lift their respective teams to victory. However, over the years, the two have showcased their friendship. Melo was even present to witness Dwyane's swan song in Brooklyn.
They could have been teammates in the NBA, but they had to settle for sharing the same jersey while representing the U.S. in several international competitions.
Related: Carmelo Anthony shares the real reason why he didn't join Miami's Big 3: "I wasn't ready to go teaming up; I was building my own sh**"
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