Dwyane Wade was one of the most outstanding players in the NBA for over a decade, and likely the most important star in the history of the Miami Heat. His knowledge and experience in the league has given him the perspective to weigh in on who occupies the basketball elite.

During a recent episode of his podcast The Why with Dwyane Wade, the former shooting guard explained his stance by comparing the status in the NBA to a hotel. “The hotel has 30 floors. We talk about the access key; when I look at the game, I look at who has access to get to the 30th floor,” he began.

For Wade, the key to the top is simple: championships. “The 30th-floor access key is winning,” he said. He immediately named the two players who, in his view, are at the highest level in NBA history: “Bill Russell‘s up there, Jordan up there.”

However, Wade made it clear that this division of floors does not necessarily diminish players who haven’t won championships. “If you have not won a ring, it doesn’t mean you’re not colder than someone who has a ring,” he explained. “It’s just that you don’t have access to go to the ring floors.”

Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls looks on during an NBA game.

Dwyane Wade reflects on his own place in NBA history

Continuing with the hotel analogy, Dwyane Wade evaluated his own performance in the NBA and, by extension, his place within this imaginary structure. “I can’t go to 30,” he admitted, despite being a three-time champion with the Heat. “I may be on floor 25, but I ain’t at floor 30. That doesn’t mean anything to me; it just means I don’t have access to go to that floor.”

The GOAT debate according to Dwyane Wade

In the same conversation, the Miami Heat legend made it clear where he stands on the ongoing debate about who is the best player of all time. “There’s going to be a lot of arguments about, oh, he’s better because he scored more points, or he’s better because I like his game, or that he has won more rings,” Wade said.

“This conversation never goes anywhere. It’s a great conversation to have, but for me, it is what it is from the standpoint of, okay, let’s use this as a hotel,” he added.

Wade’s thoughts on Jordan and LeBron

A few days ago, Dwyane Wade hinted that LeBron James has an edge over Michael Jordan in the eternal comparison between the two. “MJ averaged 20 when he came back, and he was still very good, but LeBron has stayed at a level that we haven’t seen,” D-Wade said in an interview shared by Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. “I mean, he’s averaging 30 points per game in his 20th year in the league!”

However, on previous occasions, the former Miami guard made it clear that MJ is special to him. “Michael Jordan is the first iconic figure in this game, the one who took this game to heights it had never been to,” Wade said, according to Basketball Network. “I feel like we all have generational GOATs. In my generation, that is my GOAT.”

He also added that younger generations will likely choose other players. “It’s going to be Kobe (Bryant) and LeBron as the new generation’s GOATs, and that’s okay. It’s okay not to have one GOAT. Everyone doesn’t have to be on the same page.”