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Come Fan with UsWednesday, August 5, 2026

How LeBron James and Dwyane Wade ruined Knicks fans forever

Check on your strong Knicks fan friend today, guys.

Miami Heat v Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat v Los Angeles Lakers
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade fought to the finish on Monday night. This is Wade’s final season in the NBA, and the Heat’s matchup against the Lakers was his final game against his best friend in the world.

The two shoo-in Hall of Fame players left everything out on the court. The game came down to a wild fourth quarter with James locking up Wade on the final possession of the game to seal a 108-105 win, and bragging rights for the rest of eternity.

James finished with nearly a triple double. He had 28 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. Wade had some spry moments of his own, turning in 15 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. It was a vintage showdown. It was one last dance between two of the best to ever do it.

But after the two friends embraced each other after the game, knowing it would be their last time going head-to-head in an NBA game, something happened. Not your average something, either. No. This something was a gut punch to New York Knicks fans who witnessed it.

Wade thanked James for letting him play his last game against his best friend in Los Angeles, a nod to James’ decision to sign with the Lakers in free agency over the summer.

LeBron’s response?

“It was either here or at The Garden.”

And he wasn’t talking about The Boston Garden.

To make matters worse, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said former Knicks president Phil Jackson’s handling of Carmelo Anthony virtually made James to New York dead in the water:

James has been linked to potentially playing for the New York Knicks his whole career. Last season, he dubbed himself “The King of New York” and called Madison Square Garden his “favorite playground.”

New York did not have enough cap space to sign James outright in free agency last summer, but if The King came calling, Knicks brass would have found a way to shed cap in the blink of an eye. A large majority of Knicks Twitter was upset when they heard what James said:

After the game James did clarify that “here or the Garden” comment that no other venue could hold such a historic game as the last one between James and Wade. And not that he was signing with the Knicks. But that doesn’t help much.

It’s OK Knicks fans. Y’all can still tank for Zion Williamson.

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