by Dwyane Wade
First published 2012
Dwyane Wade chronicles his journey from NBA champion to single father in this personal memoir. The Miami Heat star begins with March 2011, when a judge awarded him sole custody of his sons Zaire and Zion after a bitter legal battle. Wade traces how this moment transformed his life and forced him to confront what it means to be a present parent. He reflects on his childhood on Chicago's South Side, where poverty and violence shaped his early years. When his mother struggled with addiction, his sister Tragil made the decision to move him in with their father in suburban Robbins, Illinois. There, Wade Sr. became his first basketball coach and taught him responsibility. The memoir follows Wade's rise from neighborhood courts to Marquette University to NBA stardom, including his 2006 Finals MVP award and championship victories. Throughout, Wade examines the coaches, mentors, and teammates who influenced his career. But the book's heart lies in Wade's mission to show other parents how to step up for their children, drawing from his mother's recovery from addiction and his father's example of unconditional love.
Genres: family-life, autobiography, biography-memoir, basketball
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, personal-growth
Setting: Chicago, Illinois, Miami
Period: 2011
352 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow