By Aaron Bergsieker

Dwayne Wade is known for his flashy dunks and his countless numbers of cars, but his childhood was much more difficult than you may think. Even though he is a superstar basketball player, a philanthropist, and husband of Gabrielle Union, he didn’t always have the immense amount of money he has today.

Dwayne Tyrone Wade was born in 1982 in Chicago, Illinois. His childhood was anything but pleasant. From gang and drug influences to seeing dead bodies littered on the street, Wade experienced countless hardships. Born to Jolinda Wade and Dwayne Wade Sr, D-Wade witnessed many terrible things that one could never imagine witnessing. His parents divorced when he was young, and Jolinda felt more helpless and prone to crime than ever. She spent days on end wandering the rough streets, searching for drugs, and day after day, he helplessly watched his mom suffer. 

One day when Dwayne was six, the police raided his house and Wade was petrified. The police rapidly arrested his mom and Dwayne Wade was forced to live with his father. According to a recent interview with Essential Sports, Dwayne Wade admitted that he lived in fear of the police. “I was that kid anytime I see the police, I would run and hide. Because I have watched them coming, handcuff, and take away… In the house,” he said. “That was a recurring thing in my life growing up. So I was afraid, always scared of the police.”  When Wade lived with his father, that was a turning point for Wade. 

When his father introduced Dwayne to basketball, he was immediately hooked. His father not only introduced Dwayne to basketball, but kept Wade from the dangers of the rough Chicago streets. He spent countless hours pounding his new basketball outside, and whenever he wasn’t in his driveway, he was at the rec center. Unfortunately, Wade never focused on his academics and he was denied scholarships to many basketball powerhouse schools. Finally, he was allowed entry to Marquette University.

Leaving his academic struggles behind and completing 3 successful years of college from 2000-2003, Wade led a mediocre Marquette team to the NCAA Final Four in 2003. This was the first Marquette team since 1977 to make an appearance there. Wade registered the third triple double (where you record double digit stats in three categories) in school history with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against Kentucky in the Elite Eight. Wade was a first team All-American (a team composed of the best players in the country for each position), and named Defensive Player of the Year. 

After this jaw-dropping season, Wade declared for the NBA Draft. With the fifth pick, the Miami Heat chose Dwayne Wade. Everything after that was smooth. Over his sixteen career years, Wade won three NBA championships, was a 13 time all star, an 8 time all NBA team, and a three time all defensive team. Even though Wade made a strong MVP and Defensive player of the year case in 2008, Wade never won an MVP. According to Basketball Reference, Wade averaged 22 points and 1.5 steals per game. Most notably, he averaged 30 points and 2.2 steals in 2008. 

Overall, Wade is a basketball superstar who overcame countless challenges in his childhood. He taught that surroundings can affect you, but cannot change your future.

Research Citations

https://www.marquette.edu/alumni/awards-2019/recipients/wade.php

https://www.marquette.edu/news-center/2022/nba-legend-dwyane-wade-to-serve-as-commencement-speaker.php

https://www.sportscasting.com/dwyane-wades-tragic-childhood-prepared-him-for-nba-success/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeQSMgQfTTY