September 21, 2012
Dwyane Wade is a ‘Father First,’ Basketball Player Second
NBA superstar Dwyane Wade isn’t just a champ on the basketball court; the Miami Heat guard is a best-selling author too.
“Extra’s” Ben Lyons caught up with Wade to talk about his new book, “A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball.” Nothing is off-limits in the memoir, including a very public custody battle and difficult divorce from Siohvaughn Funches-Wade.
Dwyane’s kids, Zaire, 10, and Zion, 5, are “everything” to him and through it all, he makes sure to let them know “how much I love them and also let them know how much their mother loves them as well and try to make sure they understand that and they feel that.”
The children also have a friend in Wade’s girlfriend, Gabrielle Union. He explained she has a good relationship with the boys and knows how to handle them. “She's not trying to replace their mom, but just being a friend.”
Wade, who played basketball with President Obama on his 49th birthday, is also a member of the POTUS’s fatherhood initiative. “I get the opportunity to get on the phone with fathers and get in the conference room with them and talk about fatherhood.”