The Big Lead

Heat refute Dwyane Wade's story about Pat Riley taking LeBron James' cookies

By Joe Lago

Feb 5, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade (3) and forward LeBron James (6) in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. The Heat defeated the Clippers 116-112. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Feb 5, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade (3) and forward LeBron James (6) in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. The Heat defeated the Clippers 116-112. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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When Dwyane Wade recalled the exact moment he knew LeBron James was leaving the Miami Heat, the story made for some good laughs on "The Underground Lounge" podcast with former NBA super sub Lou Williams.

Wade said he knew James' days in Miami were over after Heat president Pat Riley confiscated LeBron's favorite chocolate chip cookies on a team flight.

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"One thing you don't do," Wade said, "is f--- with LeBron's cookies."

"There was too much micromanaging at that point," Wade added. "You're talking about a team with four Finals in a row. You don't need to micromanage us.

"I felt that Riles went a little too far with his micromanaging at points like that. He's a grown man. You don't take the cookies away."

Wade's former team didn't find his tale very amusing. The Heat shared its version of the story (Riley's perhaps?) of what happened on the supposed fateful flight that led James to ponder his future elsewhere, relaying contradictory details to Miami sports pundit Dan Le Batard.

"The Miami Heat believe that, in this instance, Dwyane Wade appears to be lying," Le Batard said Wednesday on his show.

The Heat claim Riley wasn't on the flight and the team nutritionist controls the flight menu. And the dessert was ice cream, not cookies.

“This is what I was told," Le Batard said. "Everyone knows that Pat would have eaten those cookies himself because he loves chocolate chip cookies. So the story just has no truth to it."

The Heat's account of what happened debunked details of Wade's story, but the idea of Riley ruling with a heavy hand is certainly plausible. He just engaged in a protracted public feud with Jimmy Butler over a contract extension that included a seven-game suspension of the six-time All-Star.

What's more likely is that Wade and the Heat embellished their stories for their own purposes, with the truth somewhere in between.

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