Dwyane Wade’s image is associated with athletic excellence as well as the glitz and glamor typical of big sport and its superstars. However, it wasn’t always the celestial high life for the three-time NBA champion. Growing up in the south side of Chicago, he had a tough upbringing, which, over the years, forged a resolve in him to work for a better life for himself and his family.
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Before joining the NBA, subsequently becoming a 13-time All-Star, young Dwyane was mentally scarred by many hardships he endured with his mother, including an incident where the police pointed a gun at him.
In Wade’s memoir, From a Father First, he bares out his most vulnerable self while narrating the tribulations he suffered as a child. His parents got divorced when he was just four months old. Wade’s mother JoLinda received custody of Wade and his older sister Tragil.
JoLinda loved her children dearly, but fell victim to drug abuse. Throughout Dwyane’s youth, JoLinda consumed crack, cocaine and heroin. This took a serious toll on Wade’s mental health back then. He recalled one incident with the police which possibly left him scarred for life.
It was a regular day in their Chicago apartment. Wade was watching cartoons on TV, sitting next to his mother’s bed. JoLinda was cooped up in the bathroom. He assumed she was getting high since that was something she usually did in the bathroom.
Wade had left the door to the apartment open for his mother’s boyfriend and his friends to come in. That day, though, it was the police who barged in.
The moment left Wade in a daze. This is not something any child should be experiencing.
“At that same split second of seeing the silver gun and two policemen stepping into the room with it, I try to slide underneath the bed. Not fast enough! They spot me and in SWAT team speed the two rush to drag me from under the bed, grabbing my shaking body and putting the gun to my head,” Wade recalled.
The police were not targeting Wade. But they used their weapon to threaten him and to get him to show where his mother was. The cops had received a call that there was a woman who was threatening civilians with a weapon outside of their apartment. The suspected it was JoLinda.
Despite the chaos, Dwyane calmly took the policemen to the bathroom where his mom was located. However, the police could not locate any drugs or weapon with JoLinda. They, instead, found a scale that had drug residue on it.
The police arrested JoLinda and took her to the station. It marked the second time in his life that he had to see his mother in that state.
There are many such unfortunate set of events that shaped Dwyane into the person he is today. The experiences growing him gave him the determination to get out of the situation and create a better life for his family.
Fast forward to today, Wade and his mother are doing significantly better. JoLinda has been sober for over 10 years. She has become a pastor and preaches at congregations of many different churches. Wade is also at peace with himself after a more than successful career in the NBA, and a statue outside the stadium to attest his greatness.
