LeBron James and Dwayne Wade's final meeting ends a brilliant friendship

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James’ careers have been tied since even before they were both drafted into the NBA in 2003. It was inevitable then that their final meeting on the court should end with the two great friends facing off against each other.

James switched onto the Miami Heat guard, forcing Wade into a desperate heave of a three-pointer that careered wide of the basket as the Los Angeles Lakers won 108-105 to give their star player a 16-15 lead in the pair’s all-time head-to-head record.

James said: “It ended how it was supposed to end. ... Us two matched up against each other at the end. ... We all got a show tonight.”

Of course James and Wade, drafted one and five 15 years ago, are better known for their partnership than their rivalry. In four years in Miami the pair won two Championship rings, making the NBA Finals in all of their seasons as team-mates.

Wade signed a one-year contract extension with the Heat in the summer ahead of ‘One Last Dance’, his 16th and final season in an NBA career that is certain to end with induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

James went on to win a further championship after leaving Wade to return to Cleveland in 2014.

"Individually, I think I would still be doing my thing individually, but as far as me accomplishing the team goals that truly mean most to me? Twenty-seven wins in a row. Four straight Finals. Two back-to-back championships,” he said.

“It goes without saying. I wouldn't be able to accomplish it without him.”

Wade said that the pair had shifted the culture of the NBA by building close ties before, during and after their time together in Miami, adding: |We clicked from the beginning and we've pushed each other and helped each other's careers go up another level and another notch.

“So he's been great for me and I've been great for him.”

Victory for the Lakers moved them to 17-10 on the season, good for fifth place in the Western Conference. The Miami Heat, meanwhile, sit at 11-15, half a game outside the eighth and final playoff berth in the East.