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Dwyane Wade has long established himself as one of the best basketball players, but few know that the path to success was not as easy as it may seem at first glance. 

 

Wade was born on January 17, 1982, in Illinois, US. He was the second child in the family after his older sister Tragil. Dwayne's parents' family life quickly began to fall apart, and the couple divorced when he was just four months old. The children remained under the care of their mothers, who at that time had played a cruel joke on them. The fact is that over time, their mother JoLinda had problems with the law due to drug addiction. Of course, it was difficult for children to grow under such conditions, so his sister Tragil decided to take a decisive step. Thinking about their future with her brother, she tricked Dwyane into going to live with her father. After that, the children continued to live with their father, Dwyane Wade Sr. Despite the problems, Wade continued to visit his mother for some time, but it stopped after moving to Robbins, Illinois. 

Seeing for himself where alcohol and drug problems can lead, Wade decided to stay away from them and use his energy in sports. In the beginning, he did not have full priority in basketball because he liked other sports, such as football. One of the primary motivators and factors that still directed him towards basketball was Michael Jordan. For Wade, like many others, Jordan was an idol. Wade watched his games repeatedly until he began to adapt his movements and technique to the approximation of Jordan.  

Wade attended Harold L. Richards High School, where he first played basketball in a team with a coach. Of course, he was not immediately an incredible basketball player because no matter how hard you try, this does not happen. Any sport requires hard and prolonged training, and Wade understood this perfectly. He spent a lot of time training, and over time there were significant changes in his style of play. Movements became more confident. Endurance increased, the percentage of hits in the basket increased significantly. People around him began to notice in Wade the potential he had not seen before, and soon he became the team leader.  

In the Bulldogs team (this name because this school’s symbol is a bulldog), Wade managed to achieve great results and lead the team to many victories. Under his leadership, the team was even able to set a school record. As Wade himself noted, his coach Jack Fitzgerald also played a significant role in this. After graduating from school, Wade decided to enter Marquette University, where he continued to play basketball. In the first year, unexpected troubles awaited him. The fact is that for admission to the competition in the team were set certain training requirements, which Wade, unfortunately, did not pass. This did not stop him, and he began to study hard to get this admission. And again, hard work and the desire to achieve his dream helped him get the coveted admission at the beginning of the second year.  

Wade started playing for the Marquette Golden Eagles college team, where he showed incredible results for the student. Thanks to this, in the 2001-2002 season, Marquette Golden Eagles were able to finish with a score of 26-7, which was the best result in the last eight years. Of course, after such a game, he was taken to play next season without hesitation. This time his results were even better. Wade scored 21.5 points, and Marquette Golden Eagles once again set a new record, finishing 27-6. These results led the team to the final four for the first time in 25 years. His subsequent games attracted the attention of many people, including the professional scene. He received as many as 29 points of counterattack with the Kentucky team, as well as 11 assists and rebounds. Although the Marquette Golden Eagles failed to win the championship, they finished sixth in the Associated Press poll, which was the best result in a long time, and in turn, Wade was named MVP of Midwest. Realizing that he had a full chance to get into the NBA, he decided without hesitation to use it. 

During the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade was selected by the Miami Heat. Although he showed quite good results even in his first season, it was not the maximum of what he was capable of. His average score was 16.2, an average score of assists - 4.5, and rebounds - 4. During the season, fans could see a better and better game and even managed to take third place in the Rookie of the Year (NBA All-Rookie Team). All basketball fans could remember the game against the New Orleans Hornets (first playoff game). The game was very intense, and in the end, it seemed that the Miami Heat was losing, but almost in the last second of the match, Wade was able to get into the ring and thus bring victory to his team.  

The following season (2005-2006), Wade showed a much better game, even despite an injured knee and sinusitis. All his average characteristics have increased and stood out significantly compared to the previous season. Over the next few seasons, Wade was continually improving, and by 2010 he showed excellent results, but not inferior to other professional players. The real heyday of the Miami Heat team came in the early 2010s. At this time, the Miami Heat had a trio that will bring this team unprecedented popularity, namely Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh. In the season in which these three participated, the team was able to advance to the NBA Finals but still lost to the Dallas Mavericks. Despite this, Wade showed terrific results. In the 2012 season, the Miami Heat even managed to win the NBA, despite the failure at the beginning of the season. A similar story will happen again. 

The 2012-2013 season turned out to be quite unlucky for Wade. He had to have knee surgery, which severely limited his ability. Because of this, his results were much lower than in previous seasons, but as time has shown, Wade was not going to put up with it. During the season, he once again showed better and better games. At the end of the season, they were able to win once again for the second year in a row. Wade’s following seasons were both bad and amazing, but in 2016 he decides to change the team and move from Miami Heat to Chicago Bulls. In 2017, Wade changed the team again, but this time to Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

 In 2018, Wade decided to return to the Miami Heat. During the 2018-19 season, he played his 1000th game, took 2nd place in the voting of the best player according to the audience, and has already made 5 in his career triple-double.  

 

In addition to basketball, Wade is also a philanthropist. For a long time, he has been helping various charitable non-profit organizations. In addition, he created his own called "The Wade's World Foundation." It aims to support multiple organizations trying to help children in health, education, and more. As we can see, Dwyane Wade’s story is a story of dreaming, hard work, and self-belief in all circumstances, and that is what makes him the basketball legend he is today.