Which was the best LeBron James and Dwyane Wade dunk? Taking a closer look

2019 NBA All-Star Game
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade 2019 NBA All-Star Game

During their time together on Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James produced some iconic dunks as part of their two-man game. The question is, which of those dunks was the greatest of the time together on South Beach?

Let's take a look.

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The dunk depicted in this video isn't famous for its execution. In truth, it's a rather simple slam on a fast-break, where Dwyane Wade hits LeBron James - who is operating as the trail man - for an uncontested slam.

However, their celebration to that bucket has become an unofficial poster for their time together as part of the Heatles. As Dwyane Wade runs back with both his arms outstretched, mimicking the motion of an airplane.

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In terms of actual execution and basketball brilliance, there are two dunks from this video that stand out. The dunk that's ranked number one on the video is a monster slam that comes courtesy of a two-sided action.

On the strong side, we see a zoom action get Dwyane Wade the ball, while on the weakside, a wedge screen springs LeBron free in the lane. The result is a beautiful lob pass that was perfectly orchestrated and is arguably the best dunk between Dwayne Wade and LeBron James.

The dunk that ranks number three in the video also has its place in Miami Heat history and completes the top three times that Wade and LeBron combined for a slam.

A simple fast-break bucket that had some added sauce on there because of how Dwyane Wade passed the ball to LeBron by putting it behind his own head. After all, style points matter when you're one of the greatest teams in NBA history.


John Lucas discusses getting dunked on by LeBron

During a January 25, 2021, interview between Gilbert Arenas and John Lucas III, the former Chicago Bulls player discussed what it was like to be dunked on by LeBron James - the top-ranked dunk in the video further up this article.

"So, he's coming over - I didn't know he jumped over me at the time. He dunks it, and boom," Lucas said. "Crazy. My whole thing was like, oh s***, he dunked on me, let me go get a bucket real quick. So, I'm rushing down the court."
"Thibs calls a timeout...I just got humbled. Because I was like, I'm playing good, we're winning, I'm starting to get recognition for who I was. But I was also kinda getting away from who I was. It (the dunk) got me back humble."

In the 2022-23 NBA season, LeBron James became the NBA's All-Time leader in points as he continues to defy the aging process and dominate his opponents, despite being 38 years old.

In 55 regular-season games for the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game, while shooting 50% from the field and 32.1% from deep.

However, NBA fans will now need to wait to see whether LeBron James will be returning to the basketball court aged 39 years old. This development comes following the Los Angeles Lakers playoff elimination, where he refused to rule out retiring from basketball during the coming off-season.

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