DEC- JAN 2013/14
published autobiography, A Father First, Wade writes: “I’m a father first and everything else after that.”
Just as inspiring as Dwyane’s story is what became of his mother. After getting out of prison in 2001, she turned her life around by quitting drugs cold turkey and studying to become a Baptist preacher. Now, grateful for a second chance, Jolinda is a constant presence in her son’s life, the mother to Dwyane she couldn’t be when she was a homeless junkie.
As Jolinda often says of her son: “Dwyane’s life is bigger than just basketball.”
Recently, Le City Deluxe sat down with the dapper NBA superstar to talk about his life on and off the court, his hard-scrabble early years and his desire to be more than simply a highliving baller. The first thing we wanted to know was what was it like growing up in a war zone. “Like every kid growing up in the south side of Chicago, it had its good and bad points, but every experience was a lesson,”says Wade.“Basketball was one of those outlets that allowed me to remain focused on the positive things while helping me realize my dreams.”
If you examine the sociological circumstances of his upbringing, Wade should be behind bars, drug-addicted or dead by now. How did he manage to ignore the siren call of the streets that nearly destroyed his mother? How did he manage to avoid the fate that befalls so many young black men from poor neighborhoods?
Wade claims it was his father’s influence. “He was my first coach,” he says. “He was the one who really got me into basketball.He taught me perseverance and athleticism at an early age, and since then, I've never stopped. If you look at the statistics, I’m not supposed to be here right now but I am and I’m immensely proud of that. My father is a big part of the reason why.”