“Dwyane was called ‘Wade County’ for a reason, because he owned Miami” - NBA analyst says LeBron James needed Dwyane Wade more, not vice-versa, says Wade taught LeBron how to control his emotions and win titles

LeBron James secured his first NBA championship with the Miami Heat under the leadership of Dwyane Wade. The following season, he clinched his second title and then was on course for a three-peat in 2014 before the Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs prevailed.

James and Wade have often been compared to the partnership between Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. But that duo won six championship rings, doing so in two three-peats.

Analyst Skip Bayless has taken it upon himself to correct the notion that Wade needed James. While Bayless said Wade sacrificed himself to bring James to Miami, he stood his ground on his opinion that LBJ needed the three-time NBA champion.

"People say, 'Well, Dwyane Wade sacrificed for LeBron," Bayless said. "Yeah, Dwyane Wade did sacrifice for LeBron to join him in Miami with Chris Bosh. But trust me on that, LeBron needed Dwyane way more than Dwyane needed LeBron, because Dwyane had won a ring (in 2006).

"Dwyane was called Wade County for a reason, because he owned Miami. He had been there and done all that. And trust me I know this from the inside out, he had creaky knees at best when LeBron got there."

He argued that D-Wade, already a champion, was responsible for teaching James how to control his emotions and showing him how to win a ring. Bayless said that Wade might have needed LBJ for his last hurrah, but he certainly didn't need him to show him how to win a title.

"OK, so, yeah, he needed LeBron for the last hurrah of his career, but he didn't need LeBron to show him how to win championships," Bayless said. "He'd already done that. LeBron needed Dwyane to teach him how to control his emotions and win a championship."

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Unlike LeBron James, Dwyane Wade single-handedly led the Heat to a championship title

Dwyane Wade, left, of the Miami Heat and LeBron James of the LA Lakers, of Team LeBron, look on during the trophy presentation after their 178-164 win over Team Giannis during the 2019 All-Star Game in February 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Before LeBron James joined the Miami Heat, the 2004 Rookie of the Year had not won a championship in his first seven seasons. James had only been to one Finals in that time and was swept by the Spurs.

Skip Bayless reflected on Dwyane Wade's knee issues, which were due to a bad surgery he underwent in college. He said that despite that, the 13-time All-Star had led the Heat to a championship over Dirk Notwitzi and the Dallas Mavericks in his third season.

"Dwyane was on the way out," Bayless said. "His knees were so bad from a bad surgery that he had while he was at Marquette in college that he was never going to be quite the same. He had risen to the highest level. He had led Miami to a Finals championship win over Dallas and Dirk, mostly by himself."