There are two sides to every NBA debate, and if the facts check out, neither could be seen as incorrect. This is the case for the most popular argument in basketball: who is the greatest player of all time, as most debates pit Michael Jordan against LeBron James.
However, another debate that has been unsettled for years is between LA Clippers’ superstar, James Harden, and Dwayne Wade, a Miami Heat legend. Both sides of the boat have a choice, one favoring accomplishments and the other arguing statistics, yet there is and will likely never be one right answer.
Because Harden and Wade have had unique careers correlated to longevity, there is nearly a zero-percent chance that the debate has not caught the attention of LA’s All-NBA guard. He has never shared his personal opinion, and may not until he is retired, as the 2018 MVP will then be able to reflect on his resume, knowing the answer is clear.
Wade, on the other hand, has made his stance obvious to the NBA community. As expected, he respectfully believes his career is greater, but recently, the three-time champion made a shocking statement to try to end the back-and-forth, once and for all.
Dwayne Wade mentions the importance of winning over stats in a shocking way to claim he is greater than James Harden
With more appearances in the NBA Finals, and a record of three championships to none, Dwayne Wade feels in his own way that his greatness tops James Harden’s. This is fair to believe, as the primary goal within every organization is to win, and Wade helped the Miami Heat do so.
Recently, Wade spoke about what he believed as a player compared to James Harden, and that his averages would be elevated had he focused on scoring rather than collecting rings.
Dwyane Wade on his career after a recent debate about him vs. James Harden 👀
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) July 26, 2025
“I can have more stats if I didn’t care about winning a ring.”
(h/t @CourtsideBuzzX) pic.twitter.com/pqYM5aSemo
He is referring to why Harden has such high scoring and assist numbers, but no titles to show for it. The flip side of the controversy is that LeBron James was involved, most prominently, in two out of Wade’s three wins in the NBA Finals.
Meanwhile, Harden has never teamed up with someone on the scale as arguably the best player in league history. His best has been Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Kyrie Irving.
That said, Wade is firm in his perspective, having taken a bold approach to demonstrate to the NBA community why he believes the accomplishments in his 16 seasons surpass Harden’s success, and what he is pursuing with the LA Clippers.