No. 15: Dwyane Wade
Richards, Marquette, Heat superstar developed love for basketball at early age
They were warm, wonderful memories from an otherwise tough childhood. He remembers the sweaty faces and warm smiles, the camaraderie and competition that defined the weekly gatherings that always ended with the smell of sizzling meat swirling into the air above his south suburban neighborhood.
Those much-anticipated afternoons represented Cupid's first arrow. The game remains Dwyane Wade's passion to this day.
(AP)
''Every Sunday my dad and friends and other good players from the neighborhood got together for a big game of basketball and then they had a cookout afterwards,'' said the Miami Heat and former Richards star who was voted the 15th Greatest Athlete in Chicago History by a Sun-Times panel. ''I remember thinking, 'Man, I want to be a part of this.' I couldn't wait until I could participate. It made me love the game because it brought them such laughter and joy.''
Stepbrother Demetrius McDaniel, who was two grades older, was the star at Richards. He was just little Dwyane, tagging alone, until he rose from seemingly nowhere to become an even bigger star for the Bulldogs. It was the same way in college, where it wasn't until he led Marquette back to the Final Four for the first time since 1977 that people wondered why he hadn't been recruited by Big Ten schools. He was the fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft but nobody was talking about Wade, not with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony drafted Nos. 1 and 3.
Perhaps it's because Wade talks so softly that has always allowed him to sneak up on people.
''It's like he always has to prove to people that he's great,'' said Richards coach John Chappetto. ''It's weird. Who knows why?''
McDaniel often talked about how talented his kid brother was. Chappetto, then the sophomore coach at Richards, found out for himself one spring afternoon when he saw Demetrius playing in his Robbins backyard with his two brothers and Dwyane Wade Sr. Dwyane was tiny, but he was holding his own.
By that time, the second arrow had found its mark. It came in the form of a rookie from North Carolina the likes of which Chicago and the NBA had never seen. Little Dwyane had learned about Chicago's rich tradition of producing great players. Now he got to see one develop before his very eyes. Michael Jordan was beginning an ascent that would take him to the top of the world. Along the way, he would radically alter the landscape of Chicago sports.
Little Dwyane Wade, sitting on the floor by the television, mesmerized, was soaking it in and filing it away.
''Oh my God. When you talk about a role model as a basketball player he was the ultimate role model,'' Wade said of Jordan. ''I looked up to him as if he was from Chicago because he was so associated with Chicago. I was nine years old when I fell in love with the game. That's when the Bulls won their first championship. The Bulls were Chicago. The impact they made on the city was incredible and I wanted to be a part of it.''
Wade grew several inches the summer before his junior year, and his all-around game began to blossom. Following in McDaniel's footsteps, he would dominate at Richards that year, his meteoric rise resulting in him averaging 20.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Those numbers would improve to 27 and 11 during his senior year when he led his team to a 24-5 record and gained a berth in the title game of the class AA state tournament.
''It was like he was created in a laboratory by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls and we began seeing the fruits of their labor a few years later,'' Chappetto said. ''To have a guy like Jordan to pattern your game after, that's the best, and he was close to Jordan. He was perfect. It's interesting, him being a Chicago guy. Maybe he learned how to take over games and win after watching Jordan play all those games because that's what he did.''
After sitting out his first college season after failing to post a qualifying SAT score, he averaged 18 points and seven rebounds as a sophomore. Those numbers grew to 19 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists during a junior year that came to an emotional end. His mother, a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, was paroled from maximum-security prison in time to witness her son's final collegiate home game. In a battle for the Conference USA title, Wade had 26 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Cincinnati before spurring the Golden Eagles on a stirring NCAA Tournament run that culminated with Wade recording a triple-double in an upset of No. 1 Kentucky that ended the Wildcats' celebrated 26-game winning streak.
''We couldn't guard him,'' said UK forward Chuck Hayes, who fouled out trying.
Nothing could overshadow Wade during the 2006 NBA Finals, when he rallied the Heat from an 0-2 deficit to defeat the Mavericks in a performance befitting his childhood hero. He averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in what ESPN called the greatest NBA Finals performance ever, better even than Jordan.
''Unbelievable,'' Wade said of the fame that has followed him since. ''To this day I'm still amazed people wear my jersey and sneakers. Chicago built me. I love the city. I wanted to be like Mike. For people to want to be like me surpasses my dreams.''
Full name: Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr.
Sport: Basketball.
High school: Richards.
College: Marquette.
Career highlights: Averaged 20.7 points and 7.6 rebounds as a junior and 27 and 11 during senior year when his team was 24-5 and gained a berth in the title game of the Illinois Class AA tournament. In two seasons at Marquette, he became one of the most decorated players in school history by averaging 19.7 points per game, amassing 150 steals and 79 blocked shots. He was the first Marquette player since 1978 to earn Associated Press First Team All-America. Was finalist for the Wooden, Naismith and Oscar Robertson awards. Marquette retired his number in 2007. Miami Heat selected him with fifth pick of the 2003 NBA Draft. Averaged 16.2 points and was named to NBA all-Rookie team. Led team in scoring in seven of 13 playoff games during first pro season. In the summer of 2004, he averaged 7.3 points, playing 17.5 minutes in the eight games played by Team USA en route to Olympic bronze. Led the Miami Heat to its first NBA Championship in franchise history in his third pro campaign. He was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP and Sports Illustrated 2006 Sportsman of the Year. Four-time All-star has averaged 23.8 points, 6.8 assists, 4.8 steals in five NBA seasons. Averaged 18.8 points per game while helping Team USA capture Olympic gold in Beijing.