A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball Paperback – May 14, 2013

Just finished reading this book and it was excellent. I enjoy reading auto-biographies and biographies especially about professional athletes. Often times all the fan gets to see and know about an pro athlete is the glitz and glamour of making millions, traveling, staying in first class hotels, getting and having any and everything they could possibly want. Often times we as fans or people not into sports really don't realize that these athletes are people just like us and go through many of the trials and tribulations of life that we do and sometimes worse. In his book, Wade took us from his early child hood, the divorce of his parents all the way to the present celebrity he is today with the Miami Heat. He is a remarkable man in that I felt like after reading the book he never let the adversity in his life get him down and keep him from striving for something more positive. I was inspired by the closeness of his family despite, his parent's divorce, his mother and father's battle with addictions, etc. To go through everything he and his family did and still be able to love and support one another is a testament to their character.The fight that he had to go through and endure to be able to get full custody of his sons was a long and hard road but he never gave up and persevered all the way through with the support of his family, both immediate, basketball, mentors, etc. Dwayne Wade has a lot of strength and character. Not many people would be able to go through what he did and still perform their job and give 100%. All that he went through actually made him a better basketball player in some regards because he often played with a vengeance and the basketball court and the games became his sanctuary at least for those two hours.Even though this book is about a man, his sons and how to be a good father, many of the principles, ideologies, etc. can be used for any type of relationship in your life as well as in many situations in life. I applaud Wade for writing this book and his family for revealing many hurtful things that occurred in their lives. I know this was not an easy thing to do because it is never easy to revisit hurtful things that we go through in life.I highly recommend this book for anyone that is a parent, will be a parent one day or anyone else who is looking for some type of inspiration on how to handle adversity and be as positive as you can be.

It seems D.Wade "tells it like it was" when he details growing up in Chicago in a family that was split because. among other things, his mother's addiction to drugs. Both parents were absent from the home for most of his youth. He had a praying grandmother and an older sister who loved him dearly and tried to shield him from the pitfalls of the neighborhood. It was while his mom was incarcerated that Dwyane lived with his dad and his stepmother. He was of average height during his early teens, but grew 4 inches over one summer, making him 6' 2". He eventually added another two inches.It was when Wade went to live with his father that his interest in basketball accelerated. He was in the company of his step brothers which included Demetrius McDaniel, a standout basketball player at Richards High School; Demetrius was two years older than Wade. In Demetrius' senior year at Richards, the team was 28-2. The coach at Richards lamented to Dwyane Wade, Sr that he didn't know what he would do now that Demetrius was graduating. Dwyane, Sr. replied that he should not worry, Dwyane was a good basketball player also.He married his high school sweetheart and became a father when he was barely out of the teens. He tried to keep the marriage together, even to the extent of having another child. This didn't fix the marriage. He is kind to the boys' mother in the book, but after the divorce, she was intent upon denying him access to the boys. The story of how he struggled to see the boys and how he was eventually awarded sole custody is interesting.A great basketball story! He gives a lot of credit to his high school coaches who helped him navigate the scholarship application process and to the coach at Marquette who accepted him although his ACT scores were not high enough. He was "red-shirted" the first year. Coach Crean told him he was part of the team he just wouldn't play in the games or travel. The coach nudged Wade into a leadership role. Since he was not playing he would watch the other players and suggest ways to improve their play. He was required to earn a 2.5 GPA to play his sophomore year. He earned 2.7 and by 3rd testing period he had a 3.0 and it continued to climb. He helped lead the team to the Final Four in 2003.I loved this book. Wade is a professional athlete worthy of admiration. He says his doesn't drink alcohol, smoke or use drugs. He is dedicated to raising these two boys; he has even provided a home for one of his nephews.

Wade is like one of those guys you want to have as a friend. He is so giving of himself. He is selfless and trust worthy. Don't ever count him out, you can trust him to make hard but good choices. Wade is the boomerang of basketball, say whatever you want, but when you come to play him , bring your A game. In spite of his challenges, he demonstrates what a Godly man looks like. He is an example to men, demonstrating your children are you responsibility not matter what career choice we make. Men are suppose to be the head of the house, this guy in in his proper lain. He if following Christ, therefore his wife will love and appreciate him the more. With God's help all men can find a way to take care of your children. Keep dingo you Wade, my God contains to bless you and your children, your Mother's ministry and anyone that comes in contact with you. A big up to your Dad and you made a great choice in ladies., we love Gaberel's spirit and her accomplishments, tuff sister. God

5*

Fantastic book

Wenn in Deutschland jemand Dwayne Wade kennt, dann nur der hießige NBA Fan, der ihn als Spielmacher der Miami Heat kennt. Was viele aber nicht wissen, ist dass D.W. wie soviele seiner Basketball Kollegen unter äußerst schwierigen Umständen groß geworden ist, seine Großmutter und seine Schwester ihn oft davor bewahrt haben abzurutschen und sich mit den falschen Leuten zu umgeben. D.W. berichtet viel in dem Buch über seine Kindheit, die Beziehung zu seinen Eltern, wie er die Liebe zum Basketball entdeckte und wie er heute versucht seine Erfahrungen und Erlebnisse an seine beiden Söhne zu vermitteln.Aber auch im Leben eines Basketballsuperstars gibt es Probleme, so beschreibt er die schwierige Situation zu seiner Ex-Frau, den Scheidungsproblemen und den damit verbundenen Sorgerechts-Streitigkeiten, all das neben seiner durchgehend erfolgreichen Karriere, Verletzungsproblemen, der Ankunft von Lebron James und Chris Bosh in Miami. Auch hierüber erzählt Wade ohne dabei zu langweilen.Dieses Buch ist sicher nicht mit den bekannten Elternratgebern zu verwechseln, aber diesen Anspruch erhebt Wade auch nicht.Als Vater eines Sohnes und Basketballfan fand ich seine Schilderungen spannend und denke, dass er in vielerlei Hinsicht ein Vorbild für viele junge Männer und Väter sein kann.

I was always a huge Dwyane Wade fan, which made me a little biased before reading the book. However the book turned out to be more entertaining and inspirational than I expected. Even if you're not a ball fan, the book really gives an open perspective of the personal struggles and events he went through that anyone would find interesting and inspiring. I'm not a parent but anyone with kids could relate to important lessons and experiences he went through both positive and negative. I stayed up way too late reading this book some nights cause I just couldn't put it down. Worth every penny, Thanks Dwade :)

Wade just won his third title but things haven't been always easy for him. This book will show you what he had to overcome his whole life and you'll love him even more.Great player + great person = Great story