The Big Three, sometimes known as The Heatles,[1][2][3] were a trio of professional basketball players –
LeBron James,
Dwyane Wade, and
Chris Bosh – who played for the
Miami Heat of the
National Basketball Association (NBA) from the
2010–11 season to the
2013–14 season. James, Bosh, and Wade had been selected as the 1st, 4th, and 5th picks in the
2003 NBA draft, and became
scoring leaders for their respective franchises over their first seven seasons. During their 4 seasons together the Heat won 2 NBA finals, won 4 NBA Eastern Conference championships, and won the Southeast division 4 times.
History
After re-signing Wade following the
2009–10 season, the Heat secured the signings of both Bosh and James in free agency, with the latter being announced in the somewhat controversial television special The Decision. The trio led the Heat to the
NBA Finals in each of their four seasons together, and won back-to-back championships in
2012 and
2013. After losing the Finals to the
San Antonio Spurs the following season, James opted out of a contract extension, and returned to play for the
Cleveland Cavaliers.
James first referred to the trio as "the Heatles" after a 96–82 road victory over the
Charlotte Bobcats on January 3, 2011, comparing the three stars to
The Beatles for drawing strong road attendance. "I see we sell out 99.1 percent on the road, so we call ourselves the Heatles off the Beatles, so every time we take our show on the road we bring a great crowd," James said.[4] The term was criticized immediately by the media.
Business Insider derided it as "stupid", while
NBC Sports said, "It's just too early for this — the Beatles are the most successful rock band of all time and you guys have yet to really do anything except look good in December. You haven't even been on
Ed Sullivan yet."[5][6]
Records and statistics
Season-by-season team record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage
Both Wade and Bosh continued to play for the Heat for two additional seasons after James' departure, before Wade departed Miami and signed with the
Chicago Bulls, while Bosh ultimately retired due to medical reasons. On September 27, 2017, Wade signed a one-year contract with the Cavaliers, reuniting him with James.[7] On February 8, 2018, at the NBA trade deadline, the Cavaliers traded Wade back to the Miami Heat in exchange for a protected 2024 second-round draft pick. On September 16, 2018, Wade announced his plan to retire from the NBA effective after the
2018–19 season and Chris Bosh officially announced his retirement on February 12, 2019, in his Miami Heat jersey retirement ceremony. Bosh was inducted to the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, and Wade received the same honor two years later.
Legacy
The trio have been credited with having a dramatic influence on the NBA, specifically relating to team development and general management. Many teams in subsequent seasons have sought to adopt the "Big Three" model of courting established NBA superstars to their franchises, in order to win championships.[8] Culturally after the Big 3 was formed also became villains following the infamous welcome party before the season began.[9]
NBA legend Michael Jordan also had his criticism with
LeBron James's competitiveness of joining forces with other superstars in the league.[10]
