Wade: LeBron 'went dark 23 on me' before 'The Decision'

Like much of the NBA world, Dwyane Wade had to wait until "The Decision" to get the official word from LeBron James that he was leaving his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat.

Wade explained in an interview with Justin Tinsley of The Undefeated that while he, James, and Chris Bosh had a verbal agreement to team up in Miami in 2010, he didn't know for sure if it would happen.

"You don't know until you see it. It has to actually happen," Wade said. "And so, yeah, we made a decision on July 4. I didn't tell anybody but my wife until July 7. I told people on July 7 after I signed, like my close-knit group. We kept it very, very, very tight. But at the end of the day, here's why I really didn't say anything. 'Cause I ain't saying nothing until it happens. ... Also, man, it was still a surreal moment. It was about to happen.

"Until Chris and I got on (TV) together, I was like, OK, this part is real. Then I had to sit there like everybody else. I didn't talk to 'Bron. I talked to him, like, a week before 'The Decision.' He went dark 23 on me! I didn't know. Just like everybody else, I sat by the TV and just to make sure that everything that we talked about was still on the up-and-up."

"The Decision" aired July 8, 2010, a day after Wade and Bosh announced they were signing with the Heat. The Big Three played four seasons together, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.