Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. (born January 17, 1982) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames include “Flash” and “D-Wade”. Wade was named 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. Despite the unorthodox spelling, Wade’s first name is pronounced as Dwayne; often in print media, it is misspelled as such. Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league. He had the top selling jersey in the NBA for nearly two years, as he led the NBA in jersey sales from the 2005 NBA playoffs, until the mid-point of the 2006-07 NBA season.

After entering the league with little fanfare as the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade has become one of the most accomplished young players in the NBA today. Having made the All-Rookie team in his first season and the All-Star team the following four seasons, Wade led the Miami Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history in his third pro campaign. He was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP, as he led the Heat to a 4–2 series win over the Dallas Mavericks. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States Men’s Basketball team, commonly known as the Redeem Team, in scoring, as they captured gold medal honors in Beijing, China.

Early life

Dwyane Wade was born in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois to Dwyane Sr. and Jolinda. 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. His parents divorced and he lived with his father and stepmother in Robbins, Illinois during his childhood. As a child growing up in the Chicago area Wade idolized former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan, and has said he patterns his game after him.

Wade attended Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn. He did not see a lot of playing time his sophomore year as his stepbrother, Demetris McDaniel, was the star of the team. Wade grew four inches in the summer before his junior year and proceeded to average 20.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Wade then averaged 27.0 points and 11.0 rebounds his senior year, and led his team to a 24–5 record. They advanced to the title game of the Class AA Eisenhower Sectional, during the season he set school records for points (676) and steals (106) in a season.

Wade was recruited by only three schools (Marquette University, Illinois State, and DePaul University) as a result of academic problems.

College

Wade played college basketball for Marquette University in Milwaukee. In Wade’s freshman year at Marquette he did not play because of academic problems. When Wade became eligible his sophomore year (2001–2002) he led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 17.8 ppg, led the conference in steals at 2.47 per game and also contributed averages of 6.6 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game. Marquette finished with a 26–7 record, the school’s best record since the 1993–94 season. In 2002–03, Wade led Marquette in scoring again with 21.5 ppg, and Marquette won the school’s first and only Conference USA championship with a 27–6 record. Wade then led the Golden Eagles to the Final Four, the school’s first appearance in the Final Four since winning the 1977 national championship. After the season Wade was named First Team All-America by the Associated Press, becoming the first Marquette player since 1978 to do so.

One of Wade’s more memorable collegiate moments came in the 2003 Midwest Regional Final in the NCAA Tournament in Minneapolis. Against heavily favored, top-ranked and top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats, Wade recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. His triple double was just the third ever in NCAA Tournament history. Wade’s accomplishment helped lead Marquette over the Wildcats 83–69 and into the Final Four, and Wade was named MVP of the Midwest Regional. Marquette finished the season ranked #6 in the AP poll, the school’s highest ranking since the 1976–77 season. Wade’s strong play in the tournament caused his draft stock to increase significantly. As a result, he elected to enter the 2003 NBA draft and forgo his senior year at Marquette.

On February 3, 2007, nearly three and a half years after his final collegiate game, Marquette retired Wade’s jersey at halftime of their game against Providence. Although Marquette requires student-athletes to graduate prior to receiving jersey retirement honors, the University has made special exception for Wade based on his accomplishments since leaving Marquette.

Information from Wiki

Stats

[View with PicLens]