Dwyane Wade might not be a part of the U.S. contingent for the 2024 Olympics, but he is still in Paris to work as NBC's color commentator for the network's coverage of the basketball competition. The Miami Heat legend probably didn't hesitate to take on the job, as it would allow him to watch the best hoopsters from all over the world duke it out on the floor.
He was also present to see his buddy LeBron James steer Team USA to a convincing win over Serbia. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar had a dominant first half, flirted with a triple-double, and had Wade thinking about his life choices.
LeBron's longevity
D-Wade logged a career that many other players would have died to have. His collection includes multiple championships, a Finals MVP, and an Olympic gold medal. If that wasn't enough, he is also a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. To put that in context, more than 4,000 guys have suited up in at least one game in the league.
Hilariously, Wade apparently (and presumably jokingly) believes he probably made some mistakes along the way that prevented him from still being one of the world's best like James, who is only three years younger.
It's worth noting that the last time the Hall of Famer played like a star was around 35 years old. At that age, LeBron was still top two in MVP voting and led the Lakers to a title. "Flash" then retired months after turning 37. On the other hand, James averaged 25.7 points (on 54.0% shooting), 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game in his age-39 NBA season.
Now, he has emerged again as one of the most integral pieces of a stacked Team USA squad.
Related: Robert Griffin III says 39-year-old LeBron is still the best player in the world: "He's out there playing like it's Game 7 of the NBA Finals"
Dwyane's injuries and sacrifice
Wade should cut himself some slack because his "early" decline and retirement (relative to LBJ) weren't entirely his fault. Firstly, injuries prevented him from building off his 2006 Finals MVP campaign.
The iconic shooting guard even claimed recently on Carmelo Anthony's podcast that if he had stayed healthy in his earlier years, he could've made a run at Michael Jordan's throne.
The 13-time All-Star proved he was one of the league's best in the late 2000s, even leading the Association in scoring in the 2008-09 season with 30.2 points per game and clinching All-NBA First-Team berths in 2009 and 2010.
However, James's arrival in Miami in the 2010 offseason required him to do one of the hardest things he had to do in his career—sacrifice his role as the No. 1 option. Of course, it all proved worth it, as Wade added two more rings to his collection.
Unfortunately, he continued to battle injuries, which caused him to sit out the 2012 Olympics and may have affected the Heat's pursuit of more titles. Imagine if D-Wade had Bron's ability to stay healthy. His career likely would have ended differently.
Related: "Now do your sons pronoun" - Controversial NFL star has savage reaction to Dwyane Wade joking about LeBron James' pronouns
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