Dwyane Wade destroys championships vs individual stats debate with hotel key analogy

Dwyane Wade's three NBA championships with the Miami Heat were a major factor for his inclusion in the Hall of Fame.

Dwyane Wade destroys championships vs individual stats debate with hotel key analogy

Dwyane Wade prefers NBA championships to individual statistics

Elite basketball players come in various forms. Some go on a run of individual stats to trump up their reputation as one of the greats. Then there are others who prefer to follow a different path to win NBA championships. Dwyane Wade is one of those who chose to follow the latter.

He spent the first thirteen of his sixteen seasons with the Miami Heat. In that time, he won three NBA titles playing along few of the greatest players to ever ply their trade. However, in his entire career, he never once went after individual accolades.

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The only exception is when he was the 2009 scoring champion. But otherwise, he did not attempt to compete with other superstars for any end of season awards. Instead, he focused on ceding to others to win titles, knowing that is what will define his legacy. He gave an analogy to explain his reasons for going that way.

A hotel has 30 floors. We’re talking about an access key. When I look at who has an access key to get to the 30th floor, I can’t go to 30. Bill Russell’s up there, Jordan’s up there. I may be on floor 25. But I ain’t on floor 30.

Dwyane Wade said

He then clarifies that a ring-less player might be ‘colder’ than someone who has won a ring. But because the other player has a championship, it means they are automatically at the top floor. Wade’s focus was on reaching that floor.

Dwyane Wade sacrificed statistics to win rings

Dwyane Wade was the NBA Finals MVP even though he was playing beside Shaquille O’Neal. That time he had to step up as opposition defenders were focusing on stopping the big man. In his later years, he ceded more ground to LeBron James so that he could win more titles. He mentions how that was more important.

Winning a ring? It’s a whole different game than being a great player and having stats… The sacrifice – I can have more stats if I didn’t care about winning a ring

Dwyane Wade said

In his early days, the now 43-year-old was the alpha dog of the Miami Heat. For him to cede ground to a superstar coming in via free agency proved he was all about winning rings. It did not matter if he was losing out on individual accolades.

LeBron James won the last two of his league MVP awards leading the Heat. This shows, Wade took a back seat and did what he had to do to win additional NBA championships. James again won the Finals MVPs, which meant Wade also got his rings which further cemented his legacy.

Notable statistically great players still chasing a ring

Dwyane Wade’s points about statistical accolades does apply to quite a few players currently playing in the NBA. Most notable amongst them are former Oklahoma City Thunder teammates James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

Both are former league MVPs and have the numbers to launch them into the Hall of Fame. However, both are towards the end of their careers and are still chasing that first NBA championship. Westbrook now has his best chance with the Denver Nuggets.

Whereas Harden’s chances with the Los Angeles Clippers depends on Kawhi Leonard‘s health. If he does stay healthy, the Clippers are a dark horse and can upset some established teams. Other than these two, there is Chris Paul, one of Wade and James’ closest friends.

Paul might not be chasing statistics anymore, but he wants to win a ring before he hangs up his sneakers. Else he will face the same fate as another banana boat crew member in Carmelo Anthony. The surefire Hall of Famer even teamed up with LeBron James but could not win a ring before he retired.