 So with the video I just want to give a massive shout out to all you guys. Thanks for showing so much love I haven't uploaded in five days and if you guys follow me on Twitter, you'd know it was my birthday So thank you guys so much for all the support a lot of you guys messaged me happy birthday and things like that So I really really appreciate it. Thanks for all the love you guys are awesome The second thing is I get a lot of people asking me who my favorite player of all time is and I never really have an Answer because at particular moments it does change. I've gone from Wade Iverson LeBron Vince Carter to Ben Welles I can never really have that one guy that I call my favorite player, but I think as a heat fan I've really got to appreciate what Dwayne Wade has done for not only the Miami Heat But the NBA community in general and honestly, I've got to appreciate what he's done since the day he was drafted in 2003 so here's a story about my favorite player flash Growing up in the South side of Chicago. We had one goal that goal wasn't to make it out It was to make it through just make it through the day those words by Dwayne Wade say it all on January 17th 1982 a young boy by the name of Dwayne Wade was born in Chicago, Illinois as many of the young kids around the South side of Chicago Was brought up around gangs violence drugs family abuse and a horrible scenario is that young children should never have to go Through at a very young age Wade had already witnessed police raids found dead bodies several times in a nearby garbage can He quotes. I've seen needles laying around the house. I've seen my mother shoot up before I've seen a lot of things my mother didn't know that I've seen as a kid at the age of six Wade recalls police with guns drawn raiding his home and searching for his mother He lived in Chicago for eight years with his drug and alcohol addicted mom Jolinda Wade His mother Jolinda was given custody of the two younger children Wade and his five-year-old sister Tragil the family struggled financially and was eventually forced to go on welfare He was being brought up into a family where according to Wade sister Tragil said and I quote It wasn't looking good none of the guys I grew up with did anything with their lives None so I didn't see anyone coming out of it I didn't see Dwayne coming out of it meaning that Dwayne Wade was being brought up into crime violence for the rest of his life or So it seemed and even Wade knew this by saying early in my life I grew up with my mom my mom was on drugs and my family was in the gang environment So it was a rough childhood Wade's life took a turn for the better when he was eight years old He was tricked by his sister who told him that they were going to the movies instead They went to a different Southside neighborhood. This was obviously the hardest thing not only for his sister, but for Wade himself She kind of tricked me, you know, she said um, you know, we're gonna go to the movies when we go to show I'm like, yeah, let's go to show. You know, I'm thinking some time with my sister You know, I remember we was on a bus and I lived on 59th and I was one of them was a rat I'm like, man. We're going far, you know, and my father at the time was living on 7th And we pulled up at the stop and we got off the bus And she was like, all right, you're closing stuff upstairs. I'll be back to get you. I'll be back tomorrow So I'm like, okay. She come back tomorrow He just looked at me and he's just like Where you going? I'm like, oh, I'll be back. I'm not going far, you know You back. I told him I'll be back. I never forget his face I think that'd be the look because he had no clue. He's just looking up at me like Okay, you know, like if you say so, okay Three weeks later. I'm looking out the window like every time a bus pulled up. I'm like You know where she at, but she never came back. She never came back There is no doubt that wait sister left him for the best which is the sad reality She was quite brave taking him from home Which obviously wasn't the best environment for a young boy growing up because as he said he had no hope Had she never lied to Dwayne about going to the movies He may have never been in a completely different place that he is in right now Wade said I got an opportunity to be a kid if I would have stayed with my mom I would have been next in line to sell drugs to join the gang His sister went to return to his mother and left Wade to stay with his father who had remarried The move changed the course of Wade's life leaving him away from the crime-ridden area He had lived in with his mother to now a house full of boys Which obviously was quite different for Wade who had lived in a house full of girls Despite the countless hours of Wade being called soft and crying This was the best place for him to grow up away from the violence and the drugs with his mother to growing up and playing Basketball with his brothers obviously it didn't take long for them to realize he had some skills a year later Wade's new environment allowed him to play basketball outside with his stepbrothers new friends and father Who coached part-time at a local recreational center? It was here that Dwayne Wade attended Riches High School in Oak Lawn where his older brother Demetrius had already made a name for himself as a star of the basketball team, but Wade knew he was better We pretty much know what happens from here, but this story is far from done Wade was obviously a star in high school and once he had made it to Marquette University He was pretty damn good there as well He was that good that he was even chosen as the MVP of the Midwest regional final But what's even more important about all this is that he met his first wife around this time He married his high school sweetheart Sophan Funcers now for those that don't know about the whole incident there You're about to find out, but it's pretty sad But you could also say that this time at Marquette was almost perfect considering what he had gone through before And I say almost perfect because he was doing well in school on the court He was married he had friends and family he could go, but there was one problem Dwayne's mother was still battling her own problems in and out of jail for someone who hadn't seen his mom in a long time This was obviously extremely tough, but to Wade's credit He used this as motivation as a drive to succeed and Wade's mother knew it She knew that it was time to give up the drugs as well She turned herself into the police and this was the start of a new life for both of them Dwayne's drive was to play his heart out to make the NBA and look after his mother and family and Dwayne's mother had her drive of being there for her son and starting clean and after 18 months They were reunited once more by 2003 Wade obviously got drafted and the rest is history But once again the story isn't done Remember Dwayne Wade's high school sweetheart and well his actual wife Well, there were some problems that had started to arise we fast forward to 2007 a year after Dwayne Wade had won his first NBA championship Wade and Savane had two sons Zaire born in 2001 and Zion born in 2007 when the couple divorced in 2007 a whole lot of issues occurred It would take a massive four years for Wade to obtain full custody of both Zaire and Zion But this is where the story becomes even crazier now Obviously there are two stars to every story and it gets extremely tough when a scenario like this happens Because you only know what you hear and you only have to choose what story to believe or what not to believe According to Dwayne Wade though. This is what happened Dwayne says the day before game three of the NBA finals His sister Tragil was scheduled to pick up his sons from their mother's home There was no answer for eight hours Family members were unable to find the boys and their mother when Dwayne's sons were finally found Siobhan was arrested and charged with attempted child abduction unlawful visitation interference and Resisting arrest. She is due back in court this August Now obviously this is a really really personal matter and I'm not intending to break into their personal life But what I find really incredible is the fact that despite being completely stressed out and worried Wade went to play game three of the 2011 NBA finals where he went on to average 26.5 points seven rebounds that series but in game three it dropped 29 and 11 rebounds after a night of no sleep Stress and anger about where his sons were obviously once he had found out that they were safe He played I doubt he would have played had they not been able to find his sons Now this is the part where you can choose what you want to believe and I don't really want to get into it Because I don't feel like it's necessary But the fact that Siobhan was arrested in Chicago and charged with an attempt of kidnapping his kids Means that under the circumstances Wade could have almost lost his kids, but I don't think that Siobhan tried to kidnap the kids I just think there was a whole big issue and lack of communication Which caused the media to make a huge deal out of it plus the case was eventually dropped So it's a whole issue that is slowly dying down overall. It's pretty insane to think about man Honestly, that is one of the craziest stories ever in my opinion I mean growing up with a drug addicted mum his sister taking him out of his own home to join his father Through a time where he thought he was going to the movies Anyway, if you guys enjoyed this video It would be awesome if you guys could drop a like and subscribe if you're new to the channel If you guys want to watch more NBA content just like this one I think you guys should definitely subscribe to join the Nick Smith nation. I really would appreciate it A lot of you guys watch the videos and forget to subscribe So if you're new around here, and you want to watch more NBA videos just like this one Definitely go down below and hit the subscribe button Also, if you guys want to watch my next NBA story Let's aim for 6,000 likes and I'll upload the next video lastly I know a lot of NBA players have grown up in very tough situations and very very tough childhood But I wanted to make this video because Dwayne Wade is one of my favorite players of all time If not my favorite player of all time I absolutely love flash and I wish you could go back to his prime self But like I said if I have an opportunity to make a video on Dwayne Wade I'm going to make a video on him I want to make videos before he retires because this guy is a living legend And with that being said if you guys could reach out to Dwayne Wade and let him know that I made a video on him I would love it. He's my favorite player of all time. I love Dwayne Wade so much But with that said let me know down below what you think about the Dwayne Wade story because in my opinion It's one of the craziest stories of all time and I'll catch you guys in my next video. Peace