Future NBA Hall of Famers LeBron James and Dwyane Wade shared the court competitively for the last time on Monday night.

Unless the latter changes his mind and decides he doesn't want to retire at the end of the season, which is highly unlikely, the two friends have squared off against each other for the final time of their 16-year career.

Unfortunately for Wade, he won't be going out having gotten one over LeBron as the Lakers won marginally. James has also beaten him a 16th time out of their 31 matchups.

PREVIOUSLY: LeBRON JAMES & DWYANE WADE TALK THEIR LAST EVER ON-COURT MEETING

It was the most romantic end to a basketball game you'll probably ever see. After Wade missed a potential game-tying three, the Heat got another shot up through Rodney McGruder, who also missed, and LeBron would toss the ball into the air as time run out.

Wade chased him into the corner and the pair embraced, hugging it out for the final time as opponents and sharing an emotional moment.

"Sixteen-fifteen!" James said to reporters after the game. "Whoo! I got some bragging rights ... that I will not use."

"I knew at some point after the game it was going to hit me that this would be the last time we was competing against each other, and it hit me right away once the buzzer sound," Wade remarked.

"And we got an opportunity on the court just to look at each other and be like, 'Man, this has been fun, this has been one helluva ride,' and we've enjoyed it together."

LeBron was the obvious recipient of Wade's jersey after the game and, ahead of a post-game dinner with his best friend, told reporters that he would not be where he is in his career without the outgoing shooting guard.

"Obviously, without D-Wade in my career, I wouldn't be sitting here with this résumé that I have," he said.

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

"Some people say you shouldn't be friends with your competitors because you still can't compete," James added. "And I think people have seen that and recognize that even with our friendship, we competed against each other, we pushed each other when we were playing against each other."

Wade, who got the opportunity to send the game into overtime, was locked down by his former teammate and didn't get the shot he wanted. He put it down to LeBron knowing what he was going to do because of their history together.

"He knew my move at the end that stopped me from getting to my shot," he explained.

"That's how well we know each other, man. Just two competitors who enjoy the game of basketball, who love each other and love competing. So I'm glad that in my 16 years that we were on the court together, we was in this game, we've made a big impact on and off the court."

What This Means

The Lakers and Heat stars came into the league together in 2003 but the younger LeBron has a few more years left, while Wade is in his swansong campaign.

Their friendship, both as teammates and as rivals, tells a good story, even more so as they're both three-time champions who will go down as two of the best players to ever grace the NBA.

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