Dwyane Wade

Did You Know?

• Wade's mother JoLinda struggled with drug addiction and often committed crimes that sent her to prison.
• At age eight, Wade's sister Tragil tricked him into thinking they were going to the movie theater, only to take him to live with his father and stepmother.
• Wade was recruited to play basketball only by Marquette, Illinois State, and DePaul due to low ACT scores.

College career

Wade committed to Marquette University to play under coach Tom Crean. He was sidelined his freshman year by NCAA Proposition 48, which set academic eligibility requirements for Division I sports. With effort and tutoring, he became eligible by his sophomore year. Wade wore jersey number 3 due to the Holy Trinity and as a tribute to Allen Iverson.

He led Marquette in scoring with 17.8 points per game and led Conference USA in steals per game (2.47) and two-point field goals made (205), averaging 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists. The team finished 26–7, their best since 1993–94. The following season, Wade again led the school in scoring with 21.5 points, and the Golden Eagles finished 27–6. Three days after his mother was released from prison, she saw him play for the first time in five years as Marquette upset Cincinnati to capture the Conference USA title on March 8, 2003.

He helped the team reach the Final Four for the first time since their 1977 national championship. Wade was named to the AP All-America First Team, the first Marquette player to receive that honor since 1978. In the Midwest Regional final against top-seeded Kentucky, he recorded 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, including a breakaway dunk, as Marquette won 83–69. His triple-double was the fourth ever in NCAA tournament history.

Wade was named MVP of the Midwest Regional. He skipped his senior year to enter the 2003 NBA draft. Marquette retired his No. 3 jersey on February 3, 2007, making an exception to the usual graduation requirement.

Professional career

Selected fifth overall in the 2003 NBA draft by the Miami Heat, Wade averaged 16.2 points on 46.5% shooting, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists as a rookie. The Heat finished 42–40 and qualified for the playoffs. Wade earned a unanimous selection to the 2004 NBA All-Rookie Team and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. In his first playoff game, he hit a running jumper with 1.3 seconds left to give the Heat an 81–79 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

The Heat lost to the top-seeded Indiana Pacers in the second round. Wade became only the fourth rookie in the shot clock era to lead his team in points and assists during the postseason. After the Heat traded for Shaquille O'Neal, Miami went 59–23, leading the Eastern Conference. Wade earned a reserve All-Star slot.

In the 2005 playoffs, he averaged 26.3 points, 8.8 assists, and 6 rebounds as the Heat swept the New Jersey Nets, then averaged 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists in a sweep of the Washington Wizards. The Heat lost the Eastern Conference Finals 4–3 to the Detroit Pistons. Wade scored 42 points in Game 2 and 36 in Game 3 despite sinusitis, flu, and a knee strain. A strained rib muscle in Game 5 kept him out of Game 6 and limited him in Game 7.

In the 2005–06 season, Wade was elected an All-Star starter and finished the regular season averaging 27.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.95 steals.

Awards and honors

Wade won three NBA championships (2006, 2012, 2013) and was named NBA Finals MVP in 2006. He was a 13-time NBA All-Star and the All-Star Game MVP in 2010. Wade earned eight All-NBA Team selections: First Team in 2009 and 2010, Second Team in 2005, 2006, and 2011, and Third Team in 2007, 2012, and 2013. Wade led the league in scoring in 2009 and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2004.

He was honored on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Wade won the NBA Skills Challenge in 2006 and 2007, received the Magic Johnson Award in 2019, and the season-long NBA Community Assist Award for 2012–13. With Team USA, he won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics and bronze medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2006 FIBA World Championship. He received the 2005 Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award, the 2006 Best NBA Player ESPY Award, and was named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year and Sporting News Sportsman of the Year in 2006.

Wade holds Miami Heat franchise records for points, assists, and steals. A statue of Wade was unveiled outside Kaseya Center on October 27, 2024, and was widely criticized. In July 2026, Robbins, Illinois renamed Claire Boulevard to Dwyane Wade Boulevard.

Personal life

Dwyane Wade married his high school sweetheart, Siohvaughn Funches, in 2002. The couple separated in 2007 and finalized a contentious divorce in 2010. Wade received sole custody of their two children in 2011. He also helps raise his nephew, the son of his sister Deanna.

Wade started seeing actress Gabrielle Union in 2008. They had a short breakup in early 2013 because of their careers, and during that time Wade fathered a child with Aja Metoyer. Wade and Union got engaged in December 2013 and married in Miami on August 30, 2014. Their daughter, born via surrogate, arrived on November 7, 2018.

In 2020, Wade’s 12-year-old child publicly identified as a transgender girl and chose the name Zaya. During an April 2023 interview, Wade explained that he relocated his family from Florida partly because of the state’s anti-LGBTQ laws. His nicknames include D-Wade, Father Prime, and Flash, the last one coined by Shaquille O’Neal. During the 2005 playoffs, Wade’s jersey became the NBA’s top seller and held that spot for nearly two years. He also appeared as himself on the Disney Channel show Austin & Ally.