Testimony

I first found out about Dwyane Wade during the 2003 NCAA tournament. What caught my eye was a play in which he was under the basket and dunked on his opponent flatfooted. Not driving to the basket. Flatfooted. Wow.

Don't ask me why but I became a DWade fan immediately. Regular readers of my blog know that DWade has been my boy for years. From leading his team to the Final Four through his 16 year soon to be Hall-of-Fame NBA career which incudes 13 All-Star appearances and three championships, I have always liked this dude. Never in the police blotter and kept his nose clean.

Flashback to that 2003 season. Jolinda Wade saw her son play for the first time in five years. The reason this was a big deal was because three days earlier she had just been released from prison after serving almost two years on various drug charges. In fact Pastor Wade (more on that later) had been involved in drugs since Dwyane was a little boy. But instead of using that for an excuse for following that path, that night DWade scored 26 points, ten rebounds and five assists.

While a fugitive on the run, she attended a church service. It was there that she had a epiphany. She turned herself in to the authorities and eventually began what is now the Temple of Praise church. However, when she tried to get funding for her building, she understandably had problems. In an Sun Sentinel interview, Pastor Wade said, "Remember you asked me if I needed any help to get a church to let you know?" she asked Dwyane. "I believe I need you."

In an interview with Oprah, Wade said it best: “I never gave up on her. Never blamed her,” Wade told Winfrey. “Because that was her life, her journey, her path. Without that path, I’m not who I am today.”

Excuse me while I wipe the tears from my eyes.

I have a personal man sports code in which I only wear jerseys of players that are no longer active. These include Julius Erving, Jordan and Iverson. Dwyane Wade is the only active player whose jersey I wear.

My boy.