Dwyane Wade: Return to Chicago is ‘bigger than basketball’

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Dwyane Wade says his return to his hometown of Chicago is about more than basketball.

Wade appeared on “Good Morning America” on Friday, saying that he hoped his decision to join the Bulls could help unite the city in light of recent events.

“My purpose for being back in the city is bigger than basketball. Basketball is a big part of it, of course; it’s what I do for a living,” Wade said, via ESPN. “But I think my purpose at the end of the day hopefully is to come to Chicago and be a part, be a voice that can help bring people together.”

The violence in the city hit close to home on Aug. 26, when his cousin was killed in a shooting.

“We’re coming off doing the town hall meeting, literally the night before. My mother’s on the panel, we’re using our voice, using our platform to shed some light on the city of Chicago for others to look in and see how we can all help and all come together, and hours later one of my family members is killed,” Wade said. “For me it’s tough. I want my family to grieve in private, but my name is attached to it.”

Wade has been outspoken about change in communities recently. Obviously, there is great excitement to see Wade in a Bulls uniform, but the move back home is even more significant for him.

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Eddy Curry: ‘They Babied Me In Chicago’

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Eddy Curry is returning to the court soon as part of the new Champions Basketball League, but during a speaking engagement at Metea Valley High School in Aurora, IL, the big man reminisced on his NBA playing days.

Curry, who was speaking to a group of 30 high school athletes, talked about what life was like as a professional athlete and how different life was as a Chicago Bull compared to being a New York Knick.

From the Naperville Sun‘s Suzanne Baker:

He said his only regret was not attending college and participating in the rites of passage, like living in a dorm, or experiencing the growth and maturity so many NBA players received as college athletes.

 

“It would be super dope to have a college diploma,” Curry said.

 

A graduate of Thornwood High School in South Holland, Curry was just 18 when he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the first found of the 2001 NBA draft.

 

“I was a kid coming out of high school, literally,” he said.

 

“When I was in Chicago, they babied me in Chicago. They really kind of sheltered and kept us kind of concealed and didn’t let us get into a lot of stuff. Then I went to New York and it was total opposite. It was like boom,” he said.

Curry ran into a number of problems while in New York, including financial issues and a sexual harassment suit that was later dismissed, and is now using his career as a cautionary tale to young athletes chasing their own dreams of stardom.

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Dwyane Wade’s Cousin Was Fatally Shot in Chicago

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Dwyane Wade has been outspoken this summer about putting an end to the senseless gun violence across America.

Wade famously opened the ESPYs last month alongside LeBron James, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony with a speech in which he said, “The endless gun violence in places like Chicago, Dallas, not to mention Orlando—it has to stop. Enough is enough.”

On Friday, the gun violence epidemic reared its ugly head once again.

Wade’s 32-year-old first cousin, Nykea Aldridge, was shot and killed while pushing her newborn baby in a stroller on Chicago’s South Side.

My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough

— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016

According to the Chicago Tribune, Aldridge, a mother of four children, was an innocent bystander and not the intended victim.

Nykea Aldridge, 32, and a man were walking in the 6300 block of South Calumet Avenue about 3:30 p.m. when two men approached and someone began firing at the man, authorities and the family spokesman said.

 

Aldridge was hit in the head and the arm and taken to Stroger Hospital, where she died, police said. The baby was not hurt, and a relative came to the scene and took the child, police said.

Less than 24 hours before the shooting, D-Wade participated in an ESPN town hall on athletes, social responsibility and gun violence held at a South Side YMCA.

Wade talked about his own experiences with gun violence and growing up in inner city Chicago.

Our condolences go out to Wade and his family during this difficult time.

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Dew NBA 3X Chicago Recap

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The NBA’s got its extended family going around America this summer to find out who’s gonna qualify for the USA Basketball 3-on-3 tourney in 2017.

Chicago was the fourth stop of the Dew NBA 3X tour. On hand at the event was Hall of Famer Gary Payton, Illinois native Frank Kaminsky, new Chicago Bull Denzel Valentine and local artist Kane One. There was of course some basketball to be played, too.

Check out pictures of the event up top, including GP and Frank the Tank playing Jenga against each other.

Photos courtesy of NBA

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