“I hated guarding those dudes, especially Rip”- Dwyane Wade reveals which players he hated guarding the most in his career

Dwyane Wade is believed by many to be one of the best basketball players of all time and his position. At the shooting guard position, Wade was primarily known for his stellar offensive production with the Miami Heat. Averaging 22 PPG for his career, he led the league in scoring in the 2008-9 NBA season. That being said, Wade was undoubtedly a problem on defense, making three All-Defense teams in his 15-year career. He played with and against some of the best players in the history of the NBA, such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Ray Allen.

Who were the toughest players to guard?

Wade recently went on the "All The Smoke" podcast and listed his most challenging players to guard while in the NBA.

"I always go with guys like (Ray) Allen and Rip Hamilton. They move... I hated guarding those dudes, especially Rip, cause he had them nails too... Me and Rip got into it a lot of times, let me tell you."

Richard "Rip" Hamilton was notorious for being a scrappy player, but he could score the ball in various ways. He shot a career-high 46 percent from beyond the arc in his best season on 120 attempts. While this isn't much compared to today's game, he did so while averaging over 20 PPG. This season was his first of three All-Star seasons in his career.

"I hated guarding Rip, I hated guarding Ray, just guys like that, you know, move that constantly."

It's safe to say Wade wasn't a fan of hopping from place to place on the basketball court.

Who did Wade hate guarding him?

On the same podcast episode, Wade was also asked which player was the most challenging to play when being guarded by them.

"I never felt like I hated no one guarding me. For me, it was always a different challenge. Nah, nah, I'm saying some guys play me very well. I mean, a guy like Kirk Hinrich played me very well... Great position defender. You know what I'm saying, didn't go, smart didn't go for shot fakes. And he was tough, wouldn't back down, and loved defense."

Kirk Hinrich wasn't a defensive monster that locked every player down that he played. He averaged one steal per game and 0.3 blocks per game for his career. He made one All-Defensive team in the 2006-7 season, but that was it. Certain players, as Wade said, play other players particularly well. It shows that no matter how good a player is, they can struggle against players that may not be the most popular or best.