Dwyane Wade

Basketball Player

Name at birth: Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr.

After only three years in the NBA, guard Dwyane Wade led the Miami Heat to the 2006 championship and was drawing comparisons to basketball legend Michael Jordan. Wade grew up around Chicago, Illinois and was a stand-out player at Richards High School in Oak Lawn. Recruited by Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was a star college player for two seasons before becoming the fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. Wade, considered an undersized guard at 6' 4", averaged 35 minutes and 16.2 points per game in his first season with the Heat. While playing with Miami center Shaquille O'Neal, Wade emerged as one of the league's best players, a fearless competitor whose speed and athleticism offset what critics call an unreliable mid-range shot. He has been an All-Star twice, played for the U.S. team in the 2004 Olympics and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 Finals. He had knee and shoulder surgery in 2007, but returned for the new season. Miami had a bad season in 2007-08, O'Neal was traded to the Phoenix suns and Wade's knee was enough of a problem he didn't finish the season after March. Despite the rocky season, Wade averaged almost 25 points per game (51 games).

Extra credit: Wade, called "Flash" or "D-Wade," endorses Converse shoes... He is off-court pals with fellow competitors LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, both of whom joined the NBA the same year Wade did... His first name is pronounced "Dwayne."