Dwyane Wade is a 6’4”, 212lb. forward for the Miami Heat.  We interviewed him at Boomers just before the holidays. He brought 200 kids to Boomers to play and eat pizza.  He has a charity called Wade’s World.  He spoke to the kids, took pictures with them and gave them each a little basketball that he signed.  The kids were screaming when they saw him.  It really meant a lot to them.  He really did a wonderful thing.

Can you tell us something about yourself that people would be surprised to know?

I’m a comedian.

What’s the funniest or strangest thing that ever happened to you on the basketball court?

My shorts came down when I was going up for a shot.  That wasn’t the greatest thing. It happened once, twice, okay, maybe three times.

Has anyone ever made fun of you or put you down?  How did you deal with it?

Oh yeah, all the time.  It happened a lot when I was growing up.  But I learned how to deal with it by getting them right back so I learned to be a jokester too.  If they talked about me I talked about them right back.  That was my defense mechanism.
 

What was your most meaningful moment as a kid?

When I finally had the chance to go with my sisters wherever they went.  I was the only boy so when I got a chance to be with my sisters and my Momma said, “Go get them,” that was meaningful.

What’s good and bad about being famous?

The good thing is I get to do great interviews with great kids like you.  There are perks to being popular.  I don’t think I’m “famous.”  You get special treatment, VIP treatment a lot.  The bad thing is that you can’t have a bad day.  You always have to be that person that people perceive you as.  You never can have a bad day.

Do coaches ever get mad at you?  How do you deal with it?

I know the coaches want the best for me and the best for the team.  They’re not doing it because they don’t like me so I deal with it.

When you were a kid how were you as a student?

I was a great student.  I did my work, made good grades.  I made the honor role here and there.  I’m not trying to brag or nothing.

If you had one wish, what would it be?

That there would be all good and no evil in the world.

Who did you look up to as a kid and why?

Basketball wise, I looked up to Michael Jordan because he was a great player and role model.  As a person, I looked up to my sister.  She’s not that much older than me but she was so mature and she took on a lot of things.

Did you get along with your siblings? Did you ever fight with them?

We fought all the time.  I have three stepbrothers and four sisters so that’s a lot of kids growing up and I fought with my brothers.  We made each other tough but now we get along with each other.  We were just fighting because we were kids.

Were you nervous in the first game you played in the NBA? How did you deal with it?

I was very nervous.  I was playing against Allan Iverson, one of the best players in the NBA.  I didn’t know what to expect. I dealt with it by just going out there and the first play, as soon as I got the ball, I went in and got my body hit.  Then I wasn’t thinking about the game.  I was mad, not nervous.

What do you feel like when you lose a game?

You feel kind of down.  You feel that you could have done more to help your team win. So you’re down on yourself for that night or the next day but you bounce back.

We noticed that sometimes you take your shoes off when you’re on the bench during a game. Why?

I get my ankles taped and sometimes they’re taped so tight that I have to let my feet breath when I come out of the game so I take my shoes off.

Why do you collect shoes?

I have a lot of shoes.  I love shoes.  When I was a kid I always wanted a lot of shoes and once I got the opportunity to buy shoes I wanted to get all of them.

Who’s the hardest player to defend?

Small guys like the size of you guys.  Those guys are so hard to defend, like the Earl Boigens, the Speedy Classen, the little guys.

What was your favorite moment playing basketball?  

Anytime we win is my favorite moment. Playing in the playoffs last year, that was a great feeling.

What was your most embarrassing sports moment?

When I was trying to run track once I got to high school and I wasn’t fast at all and I was getting beat in every race.

What advice do you have for kids about making their dreams come true?

Don’t ever give up. If anybody says you can’t do it or you feel you’re not the tallest or the fastest or don’t have the opportunity to do it, don’t ever give up.  Always work hard to get what you want.  Things that you want in life don’t come easily.  Work hard and dreams can come true. I’m a living, walking testimony to the fact that dreams do come true.

If you had to use one word to describe yourself, what would that word be?

Calm.  I’m always calm.

24 second shot clock: FAVORITE QUESTIONS

FAVORITES:

CARTOON CHARACTER-Tom and Jerry

ICE CREAM FLAVOR-vanilla

MOVIE-Remember the Titans

TOY AS KID-those little green army men.  I had like a million of them.

COLOR-blue

ANIMAL-dog

Video game-NBA Live 2006

 FOOD-chicken and hamburger

DRINK-lemonade

PRESIDENT-Clinton

Book-the Bible

Actor-Denzel Washington

FUNNY QUESTIONS

Power Rangers play basketball against the Ninja Turtles-WHO WINS?

Power Rangers, it’s morphing time.  They get stronger.  Ninja turtles are just the same.

Tell something your mother always told you as a kid?

Look both ways before I cross the street.  Then look again both ways.  So I had to look four times.

What would you do if you had to wear those little shorts basketball players used to wear years ago?

I’d be very fast because I wouldn’t want anyone to see my legs.  I’d keep moving.