‘That Helped Me’: How an ‘ugly’ period in Dwyane Wade’s life helped LeBron James become a better father

A flashback into how Dwyane Wade’s divorce and custody battle helped LeBron James become a better father to his children

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are way more than just former teammates. They both are best friends who have been through some tough times together.

The two have often been seen talking about their friendship and how strong the bond between them is. They have been there for each other during some difficult moments, which just made their friendship stronger.

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One such moment is when Dwayne Wade was in the middle of his divorce. Wade had married his high-school sweetheart Siohvaughn Funches in 2002. They both were married for 5 years and had two children before they got separated.

How watching Dwyane Wade fight for his children’s custody changed LeBron James as a father

The year Dwyane Wade won the custody battle of his children was the first season LeBron was in Miami. Having LBJ around back then was a great boost for Wade, as he had a friend he could rely on, both on and off the court. In his chat with ESPN in 2017, Wade said:

“(Having LeBron as his friend) definitely was huge for me when I was going through an ugly divorce that I went through, and an ugly custody battle with the kids, to know that, ‘Hey deal with what you gotta deal with; We got you on this end.’”

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As for LeBron James, this whole experience changed how he was, as a father. LeBron elaborates, “The example that that set, coming from someone that never encountered a father growing up, to see one of your best friends gain custody of his kids, fight for it, fight for it and say, ‘Listen, I want my kids.’ That helped me become a better father as well.”

Apparently, LeBron helped Wade become a better dad too. In the first few months after winning the custody battle, Wade would often call LeBron and ask for help.

Being through something like this together, one knows their friendship is going to be tight forever.