Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. (born January 17, 1982) is an
American 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 more 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 more accomplished young players in the NBA today. After making the All-Rookie team in his first
season, and the All-Star team the following three seasons, he led his team to an NBA Championship at the conclusion of his third
pro campaign. Wade was named 2006 NBA
Finals MVP as he led the Heat to a 4-2 series win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Early life
Dwyane Wade was born in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois to Dwyane Sr. and Jolinda Wade. 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.[1] His
parents divorced and he lived with his father and stepmother in Robbins, Illinois during his childhood.[2] As a child growing up in the Chicago area Wade idolized former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan,[3][4] and has said he patterns his game after him.
Wade attended Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn.[1] He did not see a lot of playing time his sophomore
year as his stepbrother, Demetris McDaniel, was the star of the team.[5] Wade grew four inches in the summer before his junior year and
proceeded to average 20.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.[6] Wade then averaged 27.0 points and 11.0 rebounds his senior year, and led his team to a 24–5
record.[6] They advanced to the title game of the
Class AA Eisenhower Sectional,[6] during the
season he set school records for points (676) and steals (106) in a season.[6]
Wade was recruited by only three schools — Marquette University, Illinois State and
DePaul University as a result of academic problems.[7][8]
College
Wade played college basketball for Marquette University in Milwaukee. In Wade's first year at Marquette he did not play because of academic problems.[9] When Wade became eligible his sophomore year
(2001–2002) he led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 17.8 ppg, and also contributed
averages of 6.6 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game.[10] Marquette finished with a 26–7 record,[6] the school's best record since the 1993-1994 season.[6] In 2002–03, Wade led Marquette in scoring again with 21.5
ppg,[10]
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 to the Associated Press All-America Team
becoming the first Marquette player since 1978 to do so.[6]
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.[11] His triple double was just the third ever in NCAA
Tournament history.[11] Wade's accomplishment
helped lead Marquette over the Wildcats 83–69 and into the Final Four. Marquette finished the season ranked #6 in the AP poll,
the school's highest ranking since the 1976-1977 season. Wade's strong play in the tournament caused his draft stock to increase significantly.[12] 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.[13]
NBA career
Rookie season
Selected fifth overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Miami
Heat, Wade quickly emerged as a solid player on a relatively young Miami Heat team and averaged 16.2 points on 46.5%
shooting to go along with averages of 4.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in
his rookie season.[10] After a slow 5–15
start,[14] the Heat would gradually improve to finish 42–40
and make the playoffs.[15] He further distinguished himself with outstanding performances in the playoffs,[11] particularly against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.
In the end, however, Wade's successful rookie season was somewhat overshadowed by the hype surrounding fellow rookies
Carmelo Anthony and, in particular, LeBron James.
Wade did earn unanimous selection to the NBA 2004 All-Rookie team,[11] and also finished third in rookie of the year voting (behind James and Anthony).[11] He also ranked in the top five among rookies in
several major statistical categories, including second in field goal percentage, second in steals, third in scoring, fourth in
assists, and fourth in minutes played.[11] In
the playoffs Wade hit a game winning shot in Game 1 of the Heat's first round series
against the New Orleans Hornets. The Heat won the series 4 games to 3 and advanced
to the second round to face the top-seeded Indiana Pacers, whom they lost to in six games.
2004-05
Before the 2004-05 season Shaquille
O'Neal was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Heat, and owing to this
the Heat were picked by many as title contenders.[16]
Despite the added pressure of being on a team picked to contend for a title, Wade did not disappoint in his second season. He
averaged 24.1 points on 47.8% shooting, to go along with averages of 6.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds,[10] and quickly emerged as a rising star in the league. He was elected to his
first NBA All-Star Game in Denver, and came off the bench to score 14 points in the East's 125–115 win.[17] Compared to the previous year, the Miami
Heat under Wade and O'Neal improved by 17 games, from a 42-40 record in the 2003-04
season, to an Eastern Conference-best 59–23 record in 2004-05.[10]
Wade at the free throw line.
In the first round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs, Wade averaged 26.3 points, 8.8
assists, and 6.0 rebounds at 50% field-goal shooting,[11] as the Heat swept the Nets.[18] Wade performed extremely well in the second round as well by averaging 31 points, 7 rebounds,
and 8 assists,[11] as the Heat swept the
Wizards.[18] The Heat would go on to lose
against the defending champion Detroit Pistons in 7 games during the Eastern Conference
Finals. Wade scored 42 and 36 points in Games 2 and 3 respectively, despite playing with sinusitis, the flu,and a knee strain. He
also suffered a strained rib muscle in Game 5 of the Conference Finals that kept him out of Game 6,[19] and limited him in Game 7. The Heat lost the series 4–3 after giving up a 3–2
lead,[20] and a lead in the final 3 minutes of Game 7.
2005-06
In the 2005-06 NBA season, Wade was elected to his second All-Star Game. In the 2006 NBA
All-Star Game, Wade made the game winning put-back off of the Philadelphia
76ers' Allen Iverson's missed shot, to lead the East to a 122–120 victory over the
West.[21] He finished the 2005-06 regular season averaging
27.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.95 steals per game.[10]
Against the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Wade shook off a few injuries that scared Heat fans, including a severely bruised
hip in Game 5.[22] Returning late in the half, Wade
resurrected his team by scoring 15 of his 28 points while suffering from intense pain, leading the Heat to the much-needed 3-2
series lead. After this, Wade successfully led his team to the 2006 NBA Finals, despite
suffering from flu-like symptoms in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit
Pistons.[23] He put up a double-double with 14
points and 10 assists in that game, including an 8-point flurry to close out the 3rd period that put the game out of
reach.[23]
2005-06 NBA Finals
In his first trip to the NBA Finals, in which the Miami Heat faced off against the
Dallas Mavericks, Wade had some of the more well known moments of his career. His
performance in games three, four, and five, in which he scored 42, 36, and 43 points,[24][25]
respectively, helped bring the Heat back from a 0–2 deficit to lead the series at 3 games to 2. Wade's Game 3 performance was
especially memorable; Wade finished with 42 points (tying his career playoff high) and 13 rebounds (career high).[26] 15 of his 42 points came in the 4th quarter, in which the
Heat erased a 13 point deficit over the final 6:34 with a 22–7 run which included a go-ahead jumper by NBA veteran
Gary Payton that sealed the win.[27] The Heat went on to win Game 6, taking the series 4–2, and Wade was presented with the
Finals MVP trophy. Wade had the third highest scoring average ever
by a player in his first NBA Finals with 34.7 points per game.[28]
2006-07
In the 2006-07 NBA season, Wade was elected to his third straight All-Star Game. Despite his play, the Heat struggled early in the season
with injuries and were 20–25 on February 1, 2007.[29] However, with Shaquille
O'Neal healthy and Pat Riley returning to the bench after undergoing hip and knee
surgeries,[30] the Heat seemed poised to surge into the
second half of the season.[31] However, during a game
against the Houston Rockets on February 21,
2007, while attempting to steal the ball from Shane Battier,
Wade dislocated his left shoulder and was assisted off the court in a wheelchair.[32] After the injury he was left with the decision to either rehabilitate the injury or undergo season-ending surgery.[33] On March 5, 2007, Wade announced that he would put off surgery and rehabilitate the shoulder with the intention of rejoining
the team in time for the playoffs.[34]
On April 8, 2007, after missing 23 games because of injury,
Wade returned in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Sporting a black sleeve to help
protect his dislocated left shoulder, Wade recorded 12 points and 8 assists, in a 111–103 overtime loss.[35] He finished the regular season with averages of
27.4 points, 7.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game.[36]
In the 2006-07 postseason, Wade averaged 23.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds
per game, as the Heat were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the
Chicago Bulls.[37]
Following the playoffs, Wade underwent a pair of successful surgeries to repair his dislocated left shoulder and left knee. The
knee ailment, commonly called "jumper's knee," prevented Wade from joining
USA Basketball in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament over the summer. Also, Wade will miss the first month of the
2007-08 season to rehabilitate.[38]
United States national team
Wade played on the bronze medal-winning 2004 US Olympics team with
fellow NBA all-stars Tim Duncan, LeBron James, and
Carmelo Anthony. The team competed in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, in which Wade
averaged 19.3 points per game.[39] The team won a bronze
medal, which disappointed many USA fans who had hoped for a return to the days of the original "Dream Team".[40][41]
Wade was named to the USA Men's Basketball National Team from 2006-2008. He was named co-captain of the 2006 team, along with
James and Anthony.[42] In 2007, due to injury, Wade was
unable to compete at the Tournament of Americas Olympic Qualifiers, where the
United States compiled a 10-0 record and qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing,
China.[43] However, he is scheduled to compete at
the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Player profile
Wade plays the shooting guard position, but is also capable of playing
point guard. On offense, he has established himself as one of the quickest and most
difficult players to guard in the NBA.[44] Wade is
able to get to the free throw line seemingly at will; he ranked first in free-throw attempts
per 48 minutes in 2004–05 and again in the 2006–07 season. He has proven himself an unselfish player, averaging 6.4
assists per game for his career.[10] After winning the NBA Finals Most
Valuable Player Award in 2006, Wade developed a reputation as one of the premier clutch players in the NBA.[45]
David Thorpe, an athletic trainer who runs a training center for NBA
players in the offseason, also cites Wade's developing post up game as one of his
strengths.[46] "Watching Wade operate on the
left block is literally like watching old footage of MJ (Michael Jordan)," comments Thorpe.[46] Thorpe goes on to say that Wade's best moves from the post are his
turnaround jump shot,[46] double pivot,[46] and what Thorpe terms as a "freeze fake",[47] a pump fake Wade uses to
get his opponent to jump, so that he can then drive around him to the basket.[47] The main weakness cited in Wade's ability is his lack of three-point range; he has averaged .251 on three-point field goal attempts for his
career.[10] He is known for his ability to convert
difficult lay-ups, even after hard mid-air collisions with defenders.[44] As crowd pleasing as his high-flying style of basketball may be, some
have expressed concerns over the dangers of playing in this manner,[44] as Wade has already hurt his knees and wrists after mid-air collisions with larger players.
Off the court life
Wade is a devout Christian and chose the number 3 because it represents the
Holy Trinity.[48] He
tithes 10% of his salary to a church in Chicago.[4] Wade is married to his high school sweetheart Siohvaughn Funches, who was
his first and only serious girlfriend. They currently reside in Pinecrest, Florida,
and have two sons: Zaire Blessing Dwyane Wade (February 4, 2002) and Zion Malachi Airamis Wade (May 29, 2007).[2][49] The pair were able to maintain their relationship, despite Funches, who
is a year older than Wade, leaving to enroll at Eastern Illinois University during Wade's senior year of high school.[2] In February 2002, the couple were married, and
at the beginning of Wade's final year of college (Fall 2002), Funches transferred to Marquette.[2]
The Heat's 2005 NBA Playoff run and Wade's performances with Shaquille O'Neal
hampered by injury, led to an explosion of media attention and rapid increase in Wade's popularity. During those playoffs, Wade's
jersey became the top selling jersey in the league and remained so for nearly two years; he is currently number 2 in sales behind
Kobe Bryant.[50]
After the Heat's success and Wade's memorable performances during the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Wade was further elevated into the
public's eye and has appeared on several talk shows, including Late Show with
David Letterman and Live with Regis and Kelly.[51]
Wade has been featured in a number of magazine articles and publications. In 2005, he was featured on People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People,[52] and in 2006 he was named the NBA's best dressed player by GQ
Magazine.[53] In 2007, Esquire named him to their 4th annual Best Dressed Men in the World list for the second straight
year.[54]
Wade has proven himself a popular endorser and has a number of endorsement deals with companies such as Gatorade, Sean John, T-Mobile, and
Topps.[55] He has his own
line of shoes with Converse named "The Wade" and T-Mobile
released a series of Sidekick phones known as the D-Wade Edition.[56][57] His nicknames include Flash, which was given to him by Shaquille
O'Neal in reference to the Queen song of the same
name from the 1980 film Flash Gordon,[58] and D-Wade.[59]
Statistics
| SEASON |
TEAM |
GP |
MPG |
SPG |
BPG |
RPG |
APG |
PPG |
Hi |
40+ |
50+ |
TD |
MVP |
| 2003–04 |
Miami Heat |
61 |
34.9 |
1.4 |
0.6 |
4.0 |
4.5 |
16.2 |
32 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
| 2004–05 |
Miami Heat |
77 |
38.6 |
1.6 |
1.1 |
5.2 |
6.8 |
24.1 |
48 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
8th |
| 2005–06 |
Miami Heat |
75 |
38.6 |
2.0 |
0.8 |
5.7 |
6.7 |
27.2 |
44 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
6th |
| 2006–07 |
Miami Heat |
51 |
37.9 |
2.1 |
1.2 |
4.7 |
7.5 |
27.4 |
41 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
12th |
TD = Triple-doubles
MVP = MVP voting
Career achievements
Wade has established an impressive list of accomplishments including the following:[11]
- NBA Champion: 2006
- NBA Finals MVP: 2006
- 3-time NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006, 2007
- 3-time All-NBA:
-
- Second Team: 2005, 2006
- Third Team: 2007
- Second Team: 2005
- NBA All-Rookie Team: 2004
- NBA All-Star Skills Challenge Champion: 2006, 2007
- Bronze medal winner with team USA basketball at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.
- Bronze medal winner with team USA basketball at the 2006 FIBA
World Championships.
- 2006 Sports Illustrated Sportsman
of the Year.
References
- ^ a b Heat star hasn't
forgotten those who helped him., dwyanewade.com, accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Dwyane Wade Bio, dwyanewade.org, accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ Dodds, John. Tom Crean talks about Dwyane Wade, scout.com, June 22,
2006, accessed January 29, 2007.
- ^ a b Gregory, Sean. Dwyane Wade's Rarefied
Air, Time.com, June 21, 2006
- ^ Dwyane Wade, askmen.com,
accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dwyane Wade player
Bio, marquette.cstv.com, accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ Schooled With Hard Knocks, Washington Post, accessed June 15, 2007.
- ^ Dwyane's world,
dwyanewade.com, accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ Player Profile: Dwyane Wade, nbadraft.net, accessed January
20, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dwyane Wade,
databasketball.com, accessed January 28, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Dwyane Wade Bio, nba.com, accessed
January 20, 2007
- ^ Associated Press. Dwyane Wade to enter NBA draft, signonsandiego.com, accessed January 29,
2007.
- ^ Marquette to Retire Dwyane
Wade's No. 3 Jersey, cstv.com September 29, 2006,
accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ Miami
Heat 2003-04 Game Log and Scores, databasebasketball.com, accessed January 20,
2007.
- ^ Miami Heat team
page, databasebaketball.com, accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ Burns, Marty. Rolling
the dice: Lakers gamble that O'Neal trade and new coach will satisfy Bryant, sportsillustrated.cnn.com, posted
July 12, 2004, accessed January
29, 2007.
- ^ 2005 NBA All-Star game, nba.com, accessed January 20,
2007.
- ^ a b Miami
Heat 2004-05 Game Log and Scores, databasebasketball.com, accessed January 29,
2007.
- ^ Pistons vs. Miami Game 6, nba.com, accessed January 20,
2007.
- ^ Miami
Heat 2004-05 Game Log and Scores, databasebasketball.com, accessed January 20,
2007.
- ^ 2006 NBA All-Star game, nba.com, accessed January 20,
2007.
- ^ Shaq Daddy's
double-double drops 'Baby Bulls' out of postseason, cbs.sportsline.com, May 4,
2006, accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ a b Heat Headed To First NBA Finals, nba.com, accessed January
31 2007.
- ^ Wade’s heroics Have Heat One Win From Title, nba.com, June 8,
2006, accessed January 31, 2007.
- ^ Box score-game 4 2006 NBA Finals, nba.com, accessed January
31, 2007.
- ^ Box Score-game 3 2006 NBA Finals, nba.com, accessed January
20, 2007.
- ^ Wade, Payton Rally Heat Past Mavericks in Game 3, nba.com, accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ Nance, Roscoe. Who's the best in the NBA: The case for D-Wade, USA Today, October 31,
2006, accessed March 12, 2007.
- ^ Miami Heat schedule and game log, espn.com, accessed February
26, 2007.
- ^ Pacers Storm Back, Beat Heat in Shaq's Return, nba.com, accessed April 12, 2007.
- ^ Wade Injured as Heat Fall to Rockets, accessed April 12,
2007.
- ^ Associated Press. Wade injured in Riley's return; Heat
lose to Rockets, espn.com, accessed February 21, 2007
- ^ Wade considers surgery, espn.com, accessed February 25,
2007
- ^ Wade says he'll try to return for
playoffs, espn.com, accessed March 5, 2007
- ^ Wade's return doesn't spell win as Heat fall to Bobcats, espn.com, accessed,
April 8, 2007.
- ^ Dwyane Wade stats, espn.com, accessed April 18,
2007.
- ^ Bulls strip Heat's crown, win first series since Jordan era, espn.com, accessed
April 27, 2007.
- ^ Wade might need offseason to recover, espn.com, accessed May
15, 2007.
- ^ Catching up with Tameka Catchings, usabasketball.com, accessed January 20,
2007.
- ^ Ventre, Michael. Our big fat Greek embarrassment, msnbc.com, September 2,
2006, accessed February 6, 2007.
- ^ Mejia, Tony. Still in the dumps over Team USA? This'll get you out, cbs.sportsline.com,
September 4, 2006, accessed February 6, 2007.
- ^ Carmelo Anthony Named One of Three USA World Championship Team Captains, nba.com,
accessed January 28, 2007.
- ^ [James, Team USA bury Argentina for TOA gold], espn.com, accessed
September 9,2007.
- ^ a b c Hollinger, John.
Hollinger
stats-Dwyane Wade, espn.com, accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ Wade Leads Heat to First NBA Championship, nba.com, June 20,
2006, accessed January 29, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Thorpe, David. Scouting breakdown: The game's best post players, espn.com, accessed March 29,
2007.
- ^ a b Thorpe, David. Scouting report: Best face-up games, espn.com, accessed March 29,
2007.
- ^ Pinto, Matt. Pinto’s Preview: Clippers at
Heat, clippers.com, January 3, 2006, accessed
March 12, 2007.
- ^ dwyanewade.com It's a
Boy!, May 29, 2007, accessed May
29, 2007.
Star Dwyane Wade, Wife Have a Son, May 29, 2007, accessed
May 29, 2007.
- ^ Bryant passes Wade for top-selling jersey at NBA stores, espn.com, January 10, 2007, accessed May 14,
2007.
- ^ Pitluk, Adam. Dwyane
Wade, time.com, June 23, 2006, accessed January 23, 2007.
- ^ Dwyane Wade Named One of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People, nba.com, accessed
January 20, 2007.
- ^ GQ Magazine features Dwyane Wade on the cover, nbc6.net, accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ Dwyane Wade Named to
Esquire's 2007 Best Dressed List, dwyanewade.com, accessed August 19, 2007.
- ^ Jersey sales: Wade No.
1, A.I. No. 2, James No. 3, dwyanewade.com, accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ Dwyane Wade Joins the T-Mobile Sidekick Team, accessed August 19, 2007.
- ^ Rovell, Darren. The shoe fits Dwyane
Wade, espn.com, May 16, 2005, accessed January 20, 2007.
- ^ Atlanta Hawks, atlantahawks.com, accessed February 6,
2007.
- ^ Dwyane Wade, usoc.org, accessed February 6, 2007.
External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
