Dwyane Wade had a pretty gnarly childhood. His mother JoLinda struggled with addiction issues, forcing his father to take sole custody of his son and raising him in a difficult Chicago neighborhood. However, he did an excellent job as his son became a Hall of Famer. Despite his struggle playing a critical role in his development, the three-time NBA champion doesn’t believe everyone must go through it.
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On the contrary, he believes that every parent’s goal should be to raise their child in a healthy atmosphere and not burden them with the responsibility of helping their family escape poverty. He relayed this sentiment by sharing D-Rich TV’s take on the vitriol being spewed on social media about the USA’s squad for the U17 FIBA World Cup.
The roster features LeBron James’ son Bryce and Carlos Boozer’s twins Cayden and Cameron, prompting many to claim that nepotism has taken over basketball. However, D-Rich argued that the players were selected on merit and the best players in the country no longer came from poverty.
He claimed that the nation’s best young players have a great support system. The social star argued the lack of pressure on them to help their family doesn’t make them any less competent. D-Rich said,
“Basketball is no longer a ‘trench baby’ sport… Do you not understand that these so-called, ‘silver-spoon fed kids’ will bust your a** on the basketball court?… I don’t want any kid that comes from money… I don’t want you to feel bad for not being from the trenches. Because that should be the goal for everybody. Nobody wants to be from the trenches!”
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Wade echoed the sentiment by sharing it on his Instagram stories with the caption,
“Nobody wanna be from the trenches”
Dwyane Wade on the kids of NBA players pic.twitter.com/lDV2J7NUpa
— Ballerz Worldwide (@ballaznba) September 1, 2024
Wade is seemingly tired of poverty being glamorized. The rags-to-riches stories of most NBA superstars are inspiring. However, that shouldn’t be the norm. A player’s family background shouldn’t play a role in forming the general perception of their ability.
Having a healthy support system when growing up isn’t detrimental to a youngster’s development. On the contrary, it could help them remain focused and learn to distance themselves from the glitz and glamor accompanying being an NBA superstar.
For Wade, talent and hard work rank above all. Whether a player lived in a mansion or came from the ‘trenches’ is irrelevant.
