The relationship forged between 2003 NBA draft classmates and future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will last a lifetime.

"It's like a friendship that I can't really explain," James said in 2014. "It's like a brother that I never had."

The story of Wade and James is, as the latter put it, "bigger than basketball." That's why some of their most memorable moments together have occurred away from the hardwood: the famed 2003 draft, the "not one, not two..." pep rally, the powerful opening of the 2016 ESPYs, the infamous banana boat ride.

They'll keep creating memories—many that we'll likely never see or even hear about.

But one part of their journey will end Monday night. That's when Wade's Miami Heat will visit James' Los Angeles Lakers for arguably the most significant step in Wade's last dance.

"I'll savor this," Wade said. "We both will. ... We're going to be friends forever, but this is the last time we play basketball versus each other. So we'll enjoy it and then we'll savor it."

Because only the basketball portion of this historic friendship is ending, we'll stick to the hardwood and remember the 10 best on-court moments Wade and James shared. We'll also rank them by significance, impact and wow factor.

10. The No-Look Nutmeg

While the All-Stars' reunion with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season seemingly fizzled before it got started, they spent enough time together to get one entry on this list.

How could we ignore a display of James' basketball genius that was so absurd it made Wade laugh during the play?

How James mentally mapped this out remains a mystery. One second, there's a scramble for a loose ball with at least three players within arm's reach. By the next, James had whipped a pass behind his back and between Aaron Gordon's legs to a wide-open Wade underneath.

"The whole play was really so unnecessarily awesome and also kind of very disrespectful," Demetrio Teniente wrote for the Houston Chronicle. "He didn't need to do Aaron Gordon like that, man. Although, I am very glad he did."

There weren't many good times for the pair in Cleveland—Wade only played six more games there before the Cavs traded him back to the Heat—but this feed was too fantastic to ignore.

9. Holiday in Hollywood

When the Heat were rolling, they weren't merely good, they demoralized opponents. James had endless amounts of energy and athleticism, and Wade could soar whenever Miami needed a statement.

Their dunk reels were everything. Cirque du Soleil would have struggled to match their aerial artwork.

But something was special about this performance against the Los Angeles Lakers. For starters, this had the coveted 5 p.m. ET slot on Christmas 2013, so they had the attention of the Association's faithful all to themselves.

The setting seemed to add extra bounce to their springs, and the Heat's high flyers were soon cruising at an altitude others couldn't reach. Wade found James for two of the best in-game lobs we've ever witnessed: one a look-away James hammered with his right hand and the other an off-the-glass delivery he crushed with the left.

After the second, ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy said on the broadcast, "They should just stop the game right now and let everyone watch the replay." Around the world, hoop heads nodded in agreement.

8. The 90-Foot Alley-Oop

James has delivered 8,378 assists over his career, the 11th-most in NBA history. He's converted thousands of other assist opportunities by turning timely passes into buckets.

In other words, the King knows a few things about delicious dimes. So, it was noteworthy when he took to Twitter and called this February 2011 connection "probably ... the best pass in NBA history."

Was that a tad hyperbolic? Maybe a little biased, perhaps? Probably, but who cares.

This is such a ridiculous display of ability and athleticism. In one second, Wade corrals a defensive rebound under the Indiana Pacers' basket and honors the Circle City with a Peyton Manning-type strike from one restricted area to the other. James, who contested the initial miss, races down the floor and catches the pass midair for an easy lay-in. Less than five seconds passed between the misfire and finish.

It's a wonder that teams tried to remain competitive during the height of the Heatles' powers.

7. R.I.P. Jason Terry

If you were doing a list of Big Three moments, this might be No. 1.

It happened in March 2013. Jason Terry, who was obliterated so badly that a digital obituary spawned, said during a May 2018 appearance on ESPN's The Jump he's still pestered about the posterization on a regular basis.

"I think the worst thing about this is every time I'm in arenas or at the grocery store, little kids come up to me, 'Hey, hey, are you Jason Terry' 'Yeah, that's me,'" Terry said. "'Why did LeBron dunk on you?' I'm like come on, I thought you were gonna ask for an autograph."

This dunk will never be forgotten. The fact that it occurred amid Miami's 27-game winning streak only adds to its luster.

So, why isn't it higher on the list? Because it's more of a LeBron/Heat moment than a Wade-James one. While Wade's steal triggered the sequence, he was two passes removed from the lob and unseen in the aftermath.

6. The Christmas Collision

Fewer than 30 games into his return to the Cavaliers, James found himself back at AmericanAirlines Arena. But he was a visitor again, and a holiday guest at that, since it came on Christmas 2014.

While the game wasn't particularly close—the Heat led by as many as 17 points and won 101-91—the All-Star duel lived up to the hype. Wade scored 31 points; James finished with 30. James added eight assists and four rebounds; Wade supplied five of each, plus two steals and a block.

"Couple of the best in this generation," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Spectacular. I wish I could sit back and enjoy it like a fan, because it's just fantastic basketball. ... However long these two guys play, you'll get your money's worth."

There were better Wade vs. James clashes from a statistical sense—we have one on this list—but this felt therapeutic as almost the closing of their rivalry. They haven't combined for that many points in a head-to-head battle since, nor have any subsequent tilts been featured on such a prominent stage.

5. Jumping Over John Lucas III

The Heat had a luxury afforded only to superteams: If they were fully focused and engaged, it felt like there was nothing their opponents could do to stop them.

John Lucas III saw that play out Jan. 29, 2012.

Lucas switched to the unfortunate assignment of trying to handle James while was motoring along the baseline. Lucas, LeBron and the lob from Wade all reached the restricted area at the same time, so James did what anyone would do in that situation: He soared straight over Lucas, one-handed the lob pass and flushed it with his right hand.

"It was a hell of a play," Lucas recalled at Heat media day in 2015. "I mean, I haven't watched it in a while, but every time I walk into the locker room—they've got the big picture of him jumping before you enter into the locker room. So, I'm always reminded of what happened here."

4. 'Absolute Greatness'

While it's tricky to consider the 2005-06 campaign as the breakout party for Wade or James, since both made their All-Star debuts the season prior, each had become their best versions to date.

It was James' first season north of 30 points per game (31.4), and Wade's first time above 25 (27.2). It was when their efficiency levels knocked on the doorstep of absurdity (48.0 percent shooting for James; 49.5 for Wade). It was when these rising stars morphed into transcendent talents.

So, naturally, it's also the season in which they delivered their best-ever head-to-head tussle.

On April 1, 2006, Wade's Heat traveled to Northeast Ohio to lock horns with James' Cavs. The ensuing 48 minutes were basketball bliss. James piled up 47 points on just 25 shots, rounding out his stat line with 12 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and a victory. Wade, though, was right behind, turning his 36 shots into 44 points to go along with nine dimes, eight boards, two thefts and a block.

"People got a view of absolute greatness," then-Heat coach Pat Riley said afterward. "It's absolutely beyond description. I haven't seen players do that in a long, long time."

3. The Photo

It's not often that still photography betters the basketball it captures, but this sequence takes a back seat to the image.

The play was almost forgettable, because displays like this became so routine for this tandem. Steal, breakaway, dump-off pass, easy dunk—lather, rinse, repeat. But thanks to the quick hands and expert eyes of AP photographer Morry Gash, we're left with the most miraculous image of Miami's Big Three era.

This was the Heatles in a nutshell, the perfect mix of superhuman explosiveness, basketball brilliance and South Beach swag. James looks like he's ascending into hoops heaven, and Wade already knows no one can touch them, even though this was only their 22nd game together.

Wade has said this is the picture he'll have James sign and hang in his house, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. James called the image "iconic" and Gash a GOAT on Twitter. The moment may not mean much, but this picture defines one of the most important teams the NBA has ever seen.

2. The Repeat

While we'll save our No. 1 spot for trophy No. 1, it's only right that the second goes to the second time the Big Three Heat raised a banner.

After a 66-win sprint through the regular season, the Heat faced two tremendous obstacles in the playoffs. First came the 49-win Indiana Pacers and their league-leading defense, which gave Miami all it could handle over a grueling seven-game Eastern Conference Finals. Then, it was the 58-win San Antonio Spurs, who built series leads after Games 1, 3 and 5.

But the Heat persevered, leaning heavily on their stars for a critical Game 4 win in the Alamo City. James had 33 points, Wade had 32 and collectively they shot 58 percent from the field. They also combined for 17 rebounds, eight assists, eight steals and three blocks—stats sufficiently supported by a 20-point, 13-rebound effort from Chris Bosh.

"It was on our shoulders, obviously," James said. "We had to figure out how to will a game for us, to play at the highest level. When all three of us are clicking at the same time, we're a very tough team to beat."

After Ray Allen's miracle triple brought the Heat back from the brink in Game 6, James and Wade carried the torch with 60 combined points in Game 7. For the series, they averaged a combined 44.9 points, 14.9 rebounds, 11.6 assists, 4.2 steals and 2.2 blocks.

1. The First Title

This is what the partnership was all about, right?

The jewelry collection had to start somewhere, and Miami knew it couldn't waste another opportunity after it fell short in the 2011 Finals. After losing Game 1 of the 2012 championship round to the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder, the Heat reeled off four consecutive victories to secure the first title for the superfriends.

The real drama came a round earlier, when Miami had to climb out of a 3-2 series deficit against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. James expertly steered the ship, supplying 45 points and 15 boards in Game 6, and then 31 points and 12 rebounds in the clincher.

But history will show Wade supplied the blueprint for that escape. After he and James tried being co-alphas in their first campaign, Wade realized the best way for the team to step forward was for him to step back and let James take the wheel.

"I felt that it had to come from nobody but me, to say: 'Go ahead, man. You're the best player in the world. We'll follow your lead,'" Wade told ESPN.com's Israel Gutierrez. "Once I said that, I thought he kind of exhaled a bit."

That proved the difference-maker, and the LeBron-led Heat would pick up back-to-back titles and reach the Finals in all four years Wade and James played together. Their place in history is cemented, and the basketball world will never forget all the miraculous on-court moments they shared.

Statistics used courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com.