Dwyane Wade Believes He Could've Snatched Michael Jordan's GOAT Title Before Injuries

Dwyane Wade believes he was on his way to inserting himself in the NBA's GOAT conversation before injuries derailed his prime.

During an appearance on Carmelo Anthony's 7PM In Brooklyn podcast, D-Wade reflected on the mid-2000s, when the Miami Heat superstar appeared to be threatening to snatch Michael Jordan's throne.

"I did so many different things, I played so many different roles," Wade said. "That's one of the reasons why I don't get— I'm not the greatest shooter of all time. I was great at so many different things. Then I learned how to be great at being a role player. I learned how to be great at all these things, and no one knows really how to break down my game. They look over and they just go to one or two things, but I did so many things in the game of basketball."

Wade continued by touching on the early stages of his career, when the young star won his first championship and Finals MVP before his 25th birthday.

"When I had it, I had it. Before injuries, I was like, 'MJ, I'm coming for you.' That was my mentality,' he said. "I thought I was coming for MJ, I thought I'm going to be the greatest. Because I figured it out very early in the league, and in my second year, I knew."

Alas, injuries sidelined Wade for much of the 2007 and 2008 seasons before he delivered the best performance of his career in 2009. The star guard dislocated his left shoulder, incurred a torn labrum, and had surgeries on his shoulder and knee ahead of the 2007-08 season.

After LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, the pair made four straight Finals appearences and won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.