“‘I respect my mother so much,” Dwyane Wade said after he bought her a church in 2008. The father of four was both emotional and excited for his mother, who was stepping into a new chapter of her life. She had achieved sobriety in 2001. Jolinda’s first ministry, which she started in prison, became the Temple of Praise. She and her two children had weathered some of life’s roughest storms in Chicago. And when things got too difficult, the NBA legend used those challenges as motivation to forge ahead.

As a teen, Wade was going through a rough patch in his freshman year. His ACT scores weren’t good, and he wasn’t eligible to play. For that year, he had to work hard to level up his grades and test scores. He dreamt of joining Michigan following the path of the Fab Five, but that dream fell through. It was also the year when his mother was incarcerated on drug charges. Though he didn’t open up to anyone else, he wrote a letter to his mother.

There were plenty of reasons to give up, but Wade wasn’t going to do that. He fought until he won. Wade turned his struggles into his power and sparked his motivation to do better. “On the court and, for the first time, in the classroom, he tried to channel his anger and hurt: “He’s not this; he’s not that. He will never be this; he will never be that.” Wade drilled and studied,” The Atlantic wrote. His hard work and passion didn’t go unnoticed by Marquette head coach Tom Crean.

Wade was recruited by the coach who later stood by his side and never lost faith in him. But he couldn’t play games or join the team for trips initially. However, he could participate in practices. Tom Crean’s unwavering belief in Wade’s potential, despite his academic hurdles and personal struggles, provided a vital lifeline and the encouragement Wade desperately needed to stay focused and work towards his goals. He kept playing and grinding until he finally played his first game in his sophomore year. And this time, his mother was present to witness the moment.

It was in his sophomore year when his ex-girlfriend, Siovaughn Funches, gave birth to their son, Zaire Wade. This wasn’t easy for Wade, whose financial aid went toward diapers and baby food. “I was broke as hell in college, bro,” he told The Atlantic. However, he remained hopeful, knowing that the future held new opportunities for him. He was drafted by the Miami Heat in his junior year, and the rest is history. 

Wade and his family had just made it through another major challenge in their lives. 

Dwyane Wade opened about his cancer diagnosis 

In an interview with TODAY in March, the Miami Heat champ opened up about his kidney cancer diagnosis. He shared that he went for a simple checkup in 2023 after his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This proactive decision, driven by a desire to understand his own potential risks in light of his father’s illness and his grandfather’s history with the same disease, ultimately led to the early detection of his own cancer. He also found out that his grandfather suffered from the same disease. During the full-body screening, doctors discovered a questionable mass in his kidney.

And they advised him to undergo surgery to remove 40 percent of the kidney to prevent further complications. It was scary at first even for the 3x NBA champ. After much thought, he agreed to the procedure. His family accompanied him during the surgery day. He recalled how difficult the experience was for him as his family watched him weak.

“I remember telling myself, if I do come out of this, you know how I’m going to approach life, how I’m going approach every day … I’m going to live for the 24 hours. Of course, I’m going to plan for the future because I need to, but also to focus on the present. And the present is the 24 that you’re able to have,” Wade said Today.

From this battle, he learned the importance of living more in the present. And while doing so, he encouraged and inspired others for the same.