A legend of his sport, Dwyane Wade will never retire from inspiring others to pursue success. The three-time NBA Champion is constantly chest-passing his views on, family, life, winning, career, legacy, dreams, love and of course, basketball.
Born 1982 in Illinois, Dwyane Wade is a professional NBA player who spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for Miami Heat and in 13 NBA All-Star games.
Influenced by Michael Jordan, Wade turned to basketball growing up to avoid the temptation of surrounding drugs and gangs in his neighbourhood. He initially played football in high school, until he grew four inches and his basketball skills swiftly surfaced, making him a team leader and stand-out player in the sport.
After a successful college basketball career with the Marquette Golden Eagles, Wade was drafted fifth overall in the 2003 NBA draft by the Heat. Three years later, Wade led the Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history and was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP.
In 2008, Wade led the United States men’s basketball team at the Summer Olympics to a gold medal victory. Later that year in the 2008-09 season, he led the league in scoring and earned the NBA scoring title. In 2010, Wade was selected as the NBA All-Star Game MVP.
The athlete remained unstoppable, taking Miami to four consecutive NBA finals from 2011 to 2014 with back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. He went on to play for the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, and finished his career with Miami in 2019.
Wade remains Miami’s all-time leader in points, games, assists, steals, shots made and shots taken. He is considered to be one of the best basketball players in the NBA, and a proven prodigy of his own advice in making it happen.
1. Whenever I feel like I’m getting too far away from where I need to be, I think about my sons and the legacy I have to leave for them – and it always brings me back to reality.
2. You've got to respect the game and you've got to respect what the people that have played have done for the game.
3. The locker room has to be right. We've got to be patient to build this team.
4. I don’t think the world focuses on the positive things enough.
5. That's why we go through preseason, for guys to get it in their heads, `You've got to trust other guys,' even though all of us feel we have the ability to take over the game.
6. I understand that I’m not perfect. I made mistakes and I had a hand in everything that’s happened to me, good and bad.
7. You play a certain way for so long, and change is good. So I look forward to change, and I look forward to playing with the proper talent that we were able to put together.
8. You know, 10 years ago I never thought I’d be in this position. It’s a dream and I don’t even know if I dreamed this big.
9. When people see you on the screen, you become bigger than life.
10. There is only a relationship between music and sports because all athletes want to be rappers and all rappers want to be athletes.
11. Fashion’s about taking chances, it’s about taking risks, and just doing it the way you feel comfortable doing it. If you do that, people will respect it more.
12. Success means being satisfied with what you do every day. It's being proud of the better person you are becoming.
13. Wherever you go, things change you. I mean, obviously moving to Miami and becoming part of the NBA has given me a different perspective on style than I had when I lived in Chicago or Milwaukee.
14. Never give up and take nothing for granted in life.
15. Players are ready to play, We're not on strike. It's a lockout.
16. The biggest surprise has been making the adjustment after losing a game. In the NBA you could lose tonight and you have to put that game behind you because you have another game the next night.
17. I've stuck by being modest, honest and humble, because I think you'll get more appreciated that way and we all want to be appreciated in this world
18. We play the whole summer. I do think guys should be compensated. Just like I think college players should be compensated as well. Unfortunately, it’s not there. But I think it should be something, you know, there for it.
19. People don't need to necessarily see me in the jersey to understand who I am and what message I'm trying to get across with the things that I'm marketing.
20. Fatherhood is the best thing that could happen to me, and I’m just glad I can share my voice.
21. Most days I am in public. If I go to the store, with social media, I'm in public. It might as well be a press conference.
22. An athlete needs to read situations before they happen.
23. We live in the moment. We're not thinking about the future right now. We're not thinking about the past, you know. We're living in this moment right here and it's a sweet moment to live in.
24. Nobody knows that they’re going to be Champions – you have to work to get there.
25. Yeah, at first people were talking about me. But now everyone is wearing their clothes more fitted.
26. All children need their fathers, but boys especially need fathers to teach them how to be men.
27. I've been successful in different areas, but nothing brings a smile to my face more than my oldest son, Zaire, and my second son, Zion, saying the kind word of 'Dad.
28. With the way I dress, I think my personality shows, so I don’t always have to talk. Someone can see what I’m wearing, see what socks I’m wearing, and see what my vibe is, what kind of person I am.
29. People are still trying to figure out who I am. Most people just say I play the game the right way.
30. I’ve always cared about my personal style and the way people perceive me. I know a lot of times people don’t get the opportunity to talk to me, so they’re just going to see what I wear, see how I’m dressed, see how I present myself.
31. I'm just a kid in a candy store right now, trying to have fun. I'm getting a chance to show my ability and my talent.
32. The biggest thing, and what I told some of the partners in the summit, was me thanking them for their constant support with everything that I’ve been through the last couple years on and off the court.
33. When people say that a certain sport is not a sport – have them play that sport and see if they can do it. Golf is one of the hardest sports you’ve ever played. Bowling is all about concentration, it’s all about focus, it’s all about aim.
34. It's always a dream to be on the cover, it's one of the things an athlete always aspires to do, to be on the cover of a videogame, but I never thought I would get to do it this quick.
35. Our goal is to be the best team in the NBA at the end of the year.
36. I'm the kind of parent who asks my kids questions like, 'What would be your ideal thing to do in the summer?'
37. Fashion is more than just how many colors and patterns you can put on at once. Being a great dresser is not necessarily about the colors you put on. It’s about putting things together in the right way and then trying different things.
38. Whenever there is a big game and people don't think I can do it, I always play my hardest, and now it has become a part of me.
39. The thing is, I don’t do these things for recognition, being a good teammate, being a positive member of the community. I do them because those things make me whole and complete.
40. I’m always telling my kids to be themselves and let their personalities show in other ways than with their mouths.
41. We go through life so fast and we never really get to enjoy moments. It seems like they go past us…Tonight I just wanted to take a minute, a moment and soak it in and be a kid from Robbins Illinois and be a kid from Marquette University.
42. I think you really have to become a parent to understand what you will endure being there for your kids.
43. I was probably a terrible husband, but I pride myself on being a good dad.
44. I think everything happens as it’s supposed to.
45. Man, anytime the ball goes through the basket. It doesn’t matter if it’s a jumper or a drive. Any time the ball goes through the basket, and it’s going through consistently, it’s demoralizing for any opponent.
46. My job, my whole life, I’ve always had that kind of doubter, people have always doubted me. And I don’t know how I would succeed without it. So I welcome it, and it gives me a challenge, and I will see if I can live up to my challenge.
47. When I'm designing I try to think about what I like to see on other people.
48. It’s about taking advantage of the opportunities you have right now, and right now we’re in a position where you call somebody and they’re willing to pick up and take the call because they’re a fan, you have to take advantage of that and have a chance to capitalize on your ideas.
49. Immediately after games, we're talking about what we need to do for the next game. We're not satisfied in the moment that we're in.
50. I grew up in the inner city of Chicago, and then I moved to Robbins, and it kind of raised me. When I was in college, I actually had them change the starting lineup to say ‘from Robbins, Illinois’ instead of ‘Chicago, Illinois.
51. I think people have had the understanding for many years that whatever happens with the separation of parents, that the kids automatically go to the mother. The fathers don’t know their rights.
52. Being a father is an everyday challenge. It goes on and on.
53. Shooting is a lost art, but nobody wants to see nobody shoot all day. You want to see somebody break somebody off the dribble. That’s today game, and that’s what I try to do.
54. The biggest thing is to make sure that when something comes out about you that is false that you prove it’s not true.
55. When I got my first check I was thinking my mother and father didn't make this probably in their lifetime. It's real amazing that some of us are just blessed.
56. If someone wears something you like, you make comments on it. And if someone wears something we don’t like, we make comments on it, too. That’s just what guys do, what teammates do. Besides that, we don’t really compete in that space.
57. My kids motivate me to keep moving forward. My kids are my everything.
58. Yes, it’s true – I love the roar of the crowd. When the fans are with you, their voices come together in a big booming rush of sound that you can actually feel in your body – almost like a wave that lifts you and carries you past your own limits.
59. I've been blessed to be one of those guys who's looked at as a fashion-forward type of guy.
60. Fatherhood, to me, isn’t something you do for awards or acclaim. It’s a privilege and a huge responsibility.
61. Now is a time where social media allows people to be heard on a different level. Everyone is using their voice
62. My will is to always be better and better and better. I’ve got the will to want to be the best.
63. My upbringing involves individuals who helped me along the way. I don't think I would be here today without that support.
64. Places you go in life – it opens your eyes up and you kind of understand who you are.