The newest inductee to the NBA Hall of Fame, Dwyane Wade, wasn’t always on top. Wade, known to many as “D-Wade”, had a rough beginning to his childhood. His family struggled and Wade moved in with his father in the Chicago suburbs at age eight. He started playing basketball with his stepbrothers at a local recreational center while his father coached. He then went on to Harold L. Richards High school, playing football at first. Wade then realized his passion was on the court–turning his whole life around.
Wade became an all-star at his high school, then furthered his career at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His career in college started out rocky, as he didn’t excel in school and was sidelined by NCAA academic requirements. However, Wade broke out in his junior year, leading Marquette to the NCAA Final Four with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, also earning MVP of the Midwest Regional Final. As his senior year came, Wade decided to enter the 2003 NBA draft, becoming the fifth overall pick for the Miami Heat.
Wade quickly emerged as a star player, averaging 16.2 points, 4.5 assists, and 4 rebounds per game in his rookie season and helping bring the Heat to the playoffs. Wade was elected unanimously to the NBA All-Rookie team and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2004. In 2006, Wade led the Heat to the NBA Finals, overcoming several injuries and illnesses to help Miami defeat Dallas and win the championship. He received his first NBA Final MVP from his game six performance, in which he racked up 42 points and 13 rebounds.
After several injury-ridden seasons, Wade resigned with the Heat in 2010 along with stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh. In 2012, the three led Miami to their second title. Wade would then miss much of the 2013-2014 season due to injury, playing in only 54 regular-season games. In 2014, LeBron returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers and ended the reign of the powerful trio. Wade, still recovering from injuries, was limited for the rest of the season.
In 2016, Wade returned to his hometown of Chicago, signing with the Chicago Bulls after 13 seasons with the Miami Heat. The season didn’t go as planned, and Wade was bought out by Chicago. Wade then signed with Cleveland in 2017, reuniting with LeBron, but things weren’t the same. Wade returned to the Heat halfway through the season, receiving his13th All- Star selection. On April 9, 2019, Wade played his final home game in Miami, putting up 30 points. His jersey number (3) was retired by the organization in February of 2020.
After retirement, Wade became a minority owner of the Utah Jazz and now lives in California his wife and four children. On August 12, 2023, he was inducted into the NBA Hall Of Fame. Wade spoke highly of his father in his induction speech and invited him to join him onstage, saying, “Dad, we in the Hall Of Fame dog!” After his illustrious career spanning many years, Wade will forever be one of the greatest of all time.
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