How much is Dwyane Wade worth?
| Net Worth: | $160 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Basketball Player |
| Date of Birth: | January 17, 1982 (age 41) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.93 m) |
About Dwyane Wade
One of the greatest basketball players of the last 20 years, if not in the history of basketball, Dwyane Wade was born in Chicago in 1982. Early life was difficult for Wade and his siblings. His parents divorced and his mother was in and out of drug recovery facilities. In fact her addiction landed her in prison when he was 8. So he spent half of his early life between living with his father and his mother. When things got really bad, he didn’t see his mother for over two years. To deal with those issues, Wade turned to sports, basketball, and football.
He has often cited the influence of his coach Jack Fitzgerald, saying that he would have been a gang member or a drug addict if it wasn’t for all the good Fitzgerald did for him in his youth.
He was a dominant player on the field and led his teams in both scoring and rebounding, which is a rare thing for a guard to do. But Wade was gifted with a unique, explosive, outwardly, athleticism. Even with such stellar performances on the court, due to academic reasons, he was only recruited by three schools, DePaul, Illinois State, and the school which he would choose at the end, Marquette.
In the end he entered the NBA draft and did not attend Marquette for his senior year.
Modeling his game after Michael Jordan, Wade was the man as soon as he stepped on campus. In his first season with the Marquette college team, he led them in scoring and in steals. That season Marquette had its best season in 10 years.
His third year and final with Marquette would feature some spectacular performances.
He improved as well, averaging close to 22 points per game. The team was again, for the second season in a row close to thirty wins and a Tournament team. As the season progressed, he kept climbing on various NBA mock drafts. One epic performance, that caused his stock to raise more than any other was the triple-double… The fourth ever in the history of the NCAA tournament, he had against the top team in the country; he had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Being the member of one of the greatest drafts the NBA has ever had, and arguably its second-best player, Dwyane Wade was selected as the fifth pick in that year’s draft by the Miami Heat. It is safe to say that he is the best pick that they ever had. He would spend 16 years in the NBA, the majority of which in the jersey of Miami Heat. He led them to three NBA titles, once with Shaq O’Neal, and twice with LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
For all the years Wade spent in the NBA, apart from the time he was on his rookie deal, he was one of the highest players in the league. That means that he was earning an estimated $15 and $25 million dollars every year for over a ten-year stretch. In total, during his playing time in the NBA, he has earned over $200 million dollars. This financial success is only a shadow of what he accomplished on the field.
His third year in the league he took the league by storm. He was one of the best scorers and defenders in the league that season, a feat that is very rare, and a feat that one of his idols, Michael Jordan, accomplished regularly.
He, along with a few great veterans, would lead that team to Heat’s first-ever NBA title. Wade put up incredible performance after incredible performance in the NBA Finals that year and was selected as the Finals Most Valuable Player.
He has also made an estimated over $100 million in endorsement deals. His first shoe deal was with Converse, later he switched to Nike and Jordan’s brand. Later, at the end of his career, he turned towards the overseas market and signed an exclusive deal with the Chinese manufacturer Li-Ning.
Wade had an incredible NBA career with many accomplishments such as, 13-time All-Star, three-time NBA champion, one NBA Finals MVP, 8 All NBA selection, out of which two were First Team All NBA and one time NBA scoring champion. Both his Marquette and his Heat jerseys have been retired.
When we look at the life and success of Dwyane Wade, a few things become apparent. Wade had incredible athletic potential.
He is 6 foot 4 and weighing at over 200 pounds.
Yet he was one of the fastest players of his generation, so fast that his teammate at the time, Shaq, dubbed him the Flash because he is quote “The fastest in the universe”. He was also blessed with one of the most impressive vertical leaping abilities of his generation, which helped him get a lot of steals and blocks. He was also a hard worker. There are a lot of players who are really athletic but are one-trick ponies, like players who can only defend or dunk. But Wade was much more. He was a great dribbled and shooter off the dribble. The only part of his game that didn’t improve much during his career was his ability to shoot three-pointers.
But he was also an incredible success story thanks to his ability to persevere under terrible family circumstances. Growing up in tough areas and with a drug-addicted mother was anything but easy. But thanks to his own work and the help of his coaches, Fitzgerald in particular, he turned into an all-time great.
Summary
The Chicago native Wade brought much success to Miami and its Heat franchise. From a kid raised by his father or drug-addicted mother, depending on what day of the week… he became one of the 50 best basketball players who have ever played the game. He persevered and got greatly rewarded.
His first 20 or so years of life were full of anxiety, terror, and potential failings, but in the end, he conquered all obstacles, and turned his athleticism into an unstoppable basketball force, leading the Miami Heat to the best period in the history of their franchise.
