Miami Heat Legend Dwyane Wade Pledges Multimillion-Dollar Donation To Marquette University
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade has experienced an eventful couple of days, from the announcement of a statue outside of the Kaseya Center to a multimillion-dollar donation to his alma mater.
Wade is pledging a $3 million donation to Marquette University, where the all-time great spent his college career. Marquette announced the gift on Monday during the Golden Eagles' game against Villanova University.
“I’ve always talked about, when a door opens, not squeezing through that door and letting it close by me holding it open,” Wade stated at a halftime news conference. “This is an opportunity to hold that door open for our next generation.”
The Hall of Fame guard was selected with the No. 5 pick in the 2003 NBA draft. It makes sense that Wade has a desire to give back to the university that shaped him into the player he became.
“The games are when fans get the opportunity to come and enjoy all the hard work that’s put in behind the scenes,” Wade said. “But practice—that's where my money was made. That’s where my legacy was built. And so for each kid that will come through this university to be able to see that name on that court, hopefully that’s the message, that they understand this is where legacy is built, this is where you take advantage of the opportunities given to you.”
His donation will go towards things such as a summer reading program, establishing a program for low-income children, and the expansion of their athletic and human performance research center. This includes a new practice facility for the basketball team, which will be named after Wade.
“It’s a great way to start the 42nd birthday week,” Wade said. “At 42, it isn’t really a cool birthday. Nobody’s celebrating in between 40 and 45, right? But I have no idea, I can’t put into words what these last few hours have been.… I’m very grateful. I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world because of all the opportunities and all the places that I get to sit.”
Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat.
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