Dwyane Wade Biography

Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade
  • Born Jan. 17, 1982

Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (/dweɪn/ dwayn; born January 17, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a successful college basketball career with the Marquette Golden Eagles, Wade was drafted fifth overall in the 2003 NBA draft by Miami. In his third season, Wade led the Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history and was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States men\'s basketball team, commonly known as the "Redeem Team", in scoring, and helped them capture the gold medal. In the 2008–09 season, Wade led the league in scoring and earned his first NBA scoring title. With LeBron James and Chris Bosh, Wade helped guide Miami to four consecutive NBA Finals from 2011 to 2014, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. After 1½ seasons away from the Heat with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade was traded back to Miami in February 2018. A 12-time NBA All-Star, Wade is Miami\'s all-time leader in points, games, assists and steals, shots made and shots taken.\n', '

Dwyane Wade was born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, to JoLinda and Dwyane Wade Sr, whose name\'s unusual spelling was decided by his own mother. In 1977, JoLinda, at the age of 18, already had two children. Wade has described his upbringing in Chicago as being very difficult. Wade stated that "[his] mom was on drugs and [his] family was in the gang environment, so it was a rough childhood." At a very young age, Wade already witnessed police raids and found dead bodies several times in a nearby garbage can. When he was only 4 months old, his parents separated – and would later divorce. JoLinda was given custody of the two children, and she moved to her mother\'s house with them. The family struggled financially, and it was around that time when JoLinda started dealing drugs. His mom was addicted to several substances including cigarettes, alcohol, heroin, and cocaine. JoLinda would get high with friends at her home, even in the presence of her children. In an interview with ESPN, Wade said "I\'ve seen the needles laying around the house. I\'ve seen my mother shoot up before. I\'ve seen a lot of things my mother didn\'t even know I\'d seen as a kid." At the age of 6, he recalls police – with guns drawn – raiding his home as they searched for his mother. When Wade turned 8 years old, his older sister, Tragil, tricked him – by telling him they were going to the movies – into living with his father, a former Army sergeant, and stepmother in a nearby neighborhood. Wade would still occasionally visit his mom. A year later, his father moved the family to Robbins, Illinois. After moving to Robbins, Wade did not see his mother for two years. During this time, JoLinda was able to access a free supply of drugs by volunteering to be a tester – i.e., someone who tests street drugs for impurities before the dealers try to sell them. JoLinda was hospitalized and nearly died after she mistakenly injected herself with LSD. In 1994, JoLinda was arrested for possession of crack cocaine with intent to sell and locked up in Cook County Jail. Wade, at the age of 10, reunited with his mom by talking with her at Cook County Jail through a glass panel over a telephone. JoLinda served 23 months in prison for her crimes, but while serving her second sentence in 1997, she failed to report to prison while on work release.\n', '

Wade turned to sports, especially basketball and football, to avoid the temptations of participating in drug and gang-related activities. Wade\'s mom and dad would often take him to the park to play basketball. He cites one of his older sisters, Tragil, as the individual most responsible for his childhood upbringing and for steering him in the proper direction. As a child growing up in the Chicago area, Wade idolized Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan, and has said he patterns his game after him.\n', '


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