Black celebrity dads have been in the news lately from Usher wresting custody of his two sons from his ex-wife Tameka Raymond to LL Cool J doing the family protection thing by beating up an intruder who attempted to rob his home. But no father has embraced the role as much as Miami Heat basketball star Dwyane Wade, who recently penned the book “A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger than Basketball” about his experience gaining full custody of his two sons from ex-wife Siovaughn Funches.
Wade’s marital woes were well documented with the two going through a long and bitter divorce that included accusations from his ex-wife of abuse, infidelity, STD transmission and allegedy inappropriate behavior from Dwyane’s current girlfriend, actress Gabrielle Union.
Wade eventually won custody in 2011 after his ex went through multiple attorneys in their divorce case and continued to make it difficult for him to see his sons, as detailed in the book. Funches was arrested on Father’s Day earlier this year when she refused to return their sons on time after a visit in Chicago.
“I just wanted to tell, in my own words, why I think being a father first is the most important thing to me," Wade told USA Today. "It goes back to my childhood, and the way things did or didn't go. I just thought for the first time I would share those personal experiences, and hopefully help someone look at things in a different way. Not saying I have the perfect way of parenting, but maybe look at things in a different way.”
Wade’s childhood was fraught with instability as his mother was drug-addicted for most of his childhood. (She has recovered and is now a pastor.) His sister took on parenting responsibilities, eventually taking him to live with his father. In the book, Wade talks about the struggles of his childhood as well as his love for his sons and how he balances work, family and celebrity.
Watch a video promo for the “A Father First” below.
Read an excerpt from the book here.
You can see Dwyane Wade on tour at the following dates and locations:
Friday, Sept. 7
FT.LAUDERDALE, FL
Museum Of Art/Books & Books
One East Las Olas Boulevard
Sunday, Sept. 9
CORAL GABLES, FL
BOOKS & BOOKS
265 Aragon Ave.
Monday, Sept.10
ATLANTA, GA
Atlanta Public Library/A Capella Books
1 Margaret Mitchell SQ
Tuesday, Sept. 11
CHICAGO, IL
NEW CREATION CHURCH/Book Table
12900 South Halsted Street
Tuesday, Sept. 11
MILWAUKEE, WI
Marquette University/Al McGuire Center
770 North 12th Street
Wednesday, Sept. 12
CHICAGO, IL
Union League Club
65 W. Jackson Blvd
Thursday, Sept. 13
LOS ANGELES
Barnes & Noble/The Grove
189 Grove Drive
Saturday, Sept. 22
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Politics & Prose
5015 Connecticut AVE NW
