Stephen A. Smith Disagrees With Jeff Teague On James Harden Being Better Than Dwyane Wade

Former All-Star guard Jeff Teague believes that James Harden is a better player than Miami Heat legend Dwayne Wade.

During an interview on The Bradeaux & Will Show, Teague gave his take.

“I got him [Harden] over D-Wade but I’m outta pocket,” Teague said. “D-Wade had Shaq then he had Bron. He ain’t never really been by himself. When he was by himself, the Heat were trash.”

On Friday, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith came to Wade’s defense on an episode of First Take.

"To me, it's D-Wade," Smith said. "Mad respect to Jeff Teague who can ball - good dude as well. But let me say this to Jeff Teague: You know better. You know it's a team sport. Yes, individually, James Harden was spectacular and unstoppable - the handle, the step-back 3's, the shooting prowess. D-Wade could never shoot like Harden could. He wasn't the one-on-one player that Harden was. So I understand what Teague is saying, but the reason I'm challenging him is because it's not all it entails. "You have to know how to be a team player. You can't recruit players but every time you recruit them you want them out."

.@stephenasmith says Dwyane Wade is a better SG than James Harden 👀 pic.twitter.com/LOfkqOwxkN
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 28, 2023

Wade is often regarded as the better player of the two. Still, you can not fully discredit Teague’s opinion because he played against both All-Stars.

Smith’s reasoning behind choosing Wade is due to Harden’s lack of being a team player. Harden has requested trades from the Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, and now Philadelphia 76ers. Although Teague’s argument is focused on Wade playing with legends, including LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal, so has Harden. He has teamed with superstars including Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Russell Westbrook.

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Anthony Pasciolla is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at anthonypasciolla36@gmail.com or follow him on Tik Tok @anthonysports_