During the early 2010s, the Miami Heat ruled the Eastern Conference and appeared in four Finals appearances. One of the biggest reasons for that was LeBron James, who changed the NBA scene when he joined the Heat in 2010. Thanks to him, Miami added two titles to their organization after he formed the iconic Big 3 with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
However, James’s tenure with the team didn’t last as he left after the fourth year to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Wednesday, Wade revealed one of the clear signs that James would leave the franchise after his fourth season. The Heat legend appeared as a guest on “The Underground Lounge” and talked about how Pat Riley’s micromanagement affected the four-time champion’s decision to leave Miami.
“This was the first moment where I had an inkling that Bron may not be back,” Wade said.
“One thing you do, is f**k with LeBron’s cookies… He loves chocolate chip cookies and ice cream. When he gets on a plane, LeBron walks on a plane with a bag of food. One bag is all cookies and other bags are what his chef has prepared for him to eat because he eats a certain way. He don’t eat what’s on the plane.
Dwyane Wade says LeBron James was PISSED when Pat Riley took his cookies and felt that was a sign LeBron might leave due to Riley’s micromanagement
(🎥 @undergrndlounge / h/t @HeatCulture13 )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 26, 2025
Wade shared that he’d play cards with James on the plane and the 6-foot-9 forward would ask for his cookies in the middle of the game. Unfortunately for James, the cookies weren’t delivered to him during one instance and he was informed that the cookies were taken away.
The three-time champion said that it was too much micromanaging for James at that point. Wade said that Riley “went a little bit far with his micromanaging.”
James received a message from Miami Heat’s president during the 2016 Finals
According to reports, James didn’t speak to the Miami Heat president for two years after he left the franchise in 2014. In an ESPN article in 2018, Riley revealed that he was the one who broke the silence between them during the 2016 NBA Finals.
The longtime executive said that he sent a text message to James ahead of the crucial Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors.
“I didn’t want to send him anything that he could read before he hit the floor,” Riley said. “As soon as he hit the floor, I sent a text to him. I said, ‘Win this and be free.’ He never got back to me with a response. In fact, he said something after the game.”
James said that after the Miami Heat won in 2016, he was informed by some members of the organization that going back to Cleveland was a terrible mistake. Riley clarified in the story, though, that he wasn’t among those who told him that.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
