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On this day in 2012, then-Miami Heat superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade produced a stunning play, with Wade throwing a full-court dime to James against the Denver Nuggets.
It was street smart from both James and Wade as "The Akron Hammer" sprinted the second the Nuggets scored and Wade spotted his dash. That combination led to Wade's incredibly precise full-court pass for James' easy layup while being fouled and ended a 9-0 Denver run.
However, the night ended in disappointment for Miami as the Nuggets won 117-104 despite James totaling 35 points, five rebounds and six assists while shooting 65%, including 60% from beyond the arc.
Recapping the LeBron James era with the Miami Heat
When LeBron James announced his decision to take his talents to South Beach and join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh for the Miami Heat, he faced massive criticism
However, the end justified the means as "King James" went to the NBA Finals in all four seasons in Miami, winning in 2012 and 2013. James is believed to have played the best basketball of his career with the Heat. He won two Finals MVP awards and two MVP awards and finished as runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2013 behind Marc Gasol (even though Gasol didn't make the All-Defensive team).
While the 2011 Finals was an obvious disappointment for James and Miami, King James made amends. Widely considered to be his greatest performance, the Heat were on the brink of elimination at the TD Garden before James dropped 45 points, collected 15 rebounds and dished out five assists on a whopping 73.1% shooting.
James was criticized for his lack of aggression in games and needed Wade to hand over the proverbial keys to the team after the humiliation against Dallas in 2011. Since then, James has gone on to become arguably the greatest player of all time.
James' time with the Miami Heat is looked back with fondness for a success-laden four years. He then returned to the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and became an NBA champion for the third time.
James won his fourth championship in the pandemic bubble in Orlando, Florida, in 2020 with the LA Lakers.
