William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, today announced plans to publish a book by eight-time NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade. Wade, a current co-captain and top scorer for the Miami HEAT, will share insights on his life both on-and off- the court, with a large focus on fatherhood, a topic of deep personal significance.
In A FATHER FIRST: How My Life Became Bigger than Basketball, Wade will reveal his thoughts on fatherhood, detailing his personal experiences as a parent, and tracing his transformation from being the child of a single parent, to now serving as one himself.
In March 2011, in a landmark legal decision, Wade earned sole custody of his two young sons, effectively setting a new precedent for professional male athletes. Most recently, Dwyane teamed up with President Barack Obama to support his Fatherhood & Mentoring Initiative, a national parenting program geared toward encouraging fathers to become more involved in the lives of their children.
“As a child, I grew up with aspirations to one day be a professional basketball player, and I am living that dream every day as a proud member of the Miami HEAT,” said Wade. “However, the daily role I play in the lives of my two children is the single most significant undertaking of my life, and the job I take most seriously. While my basketball career has brought me many rewards – including an NBA Championship in 2006 and an Olympic Gold Medal in the 2008 Summer Games, my children are the two greatest gifts of my life.”
The book will also feature highlights from Wade’s phenomenal basketball career — from his early days shooting hoops in Chicago, to training at Marquette University, to emerging as an unheralded draft pick to receiving MVP honors in the 2006 NBA Finals. In a narrative that spans two generations of the Wade family, Wade’s book encourages parents to lead by example and make being a caregiver the top priority.
“We are thrilled and honored to publish Dwyane’s book,” said Henry Ferris, Vice President, Executive Editor at William Morrow. “He has an extremely important story and message about the role of fathers in children’s lives. And his career in the NBA is also a phenomenal and exciting story.”
