One of the most important, dominant, and effective Big Threes in the history of the best basketball league in the world is comprised of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James. Individually, these three names were synonymous with greatness, spectacularity, and dominance in the NBA.

But this trident didn’t spring fully formed from the ground; it had a seed, one that was noted and casually fertilized by another NBA player who was in no way a member of this trio but whose stature still contributed to its inception. Kobe Bryant himself constituted the fourth indirect protagonist.

Years after Wade, Bosch, and James lit up the NBA and world basketball from Miami, the former revealed in an interview with SKWeek Show how he came to put together an unstoppable team that would topple Kobe Bryant and the dynasty and hegemony he was on his way to carving out with his Lakers.

Wade gives some historical context.

Dwayne Wade, Tony Parker, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and special guest Thierry Henry discussed Dwayne’s role in luring LeBron James to the Miami Heat, where the two would go on to win championships in 2012 and 2013.

“On TV, I witnessed Kobe make a basket and start a wild celebration. Well, what else are you supposed to do? I picked up the phone and dialed LeBron’s number. We were in the midst of free agency, and the Los Angeles Lakers were on top of the NBA. Wade was quick to laud the Los Angeles Lakers, including Pau Gasol, after Kobe Bryant’s recent title haul. “Kobe had just won all those rings, he has five and we only have one, it couldn’t be,” Wade remarked.

Wade told the story after witnessing Bryant, Gasol, and company defeat the Boston Celtics and win their second consecutive championship.

A few weeks later, Bosch and James were free agents, and a few months after that, the three of them—along with Wade—were rewriting NBA history as we know it.