Position	Power forward
Height ft	6
Height in	11
Weight lb	235
Weight footnote
Team	Miami Heat
Number	1
Nationality	American
Birth date	March 24, 1984
Birth place	Dallas, Texas
Draft round	1
Draft pick	4
Draft year	2003
Draft team	Toronto Raptors
Career start	2003
High school	Lincoln HS (Dallas, Texas)
College	Georgia Tech
Team1	Toronto Raptors |years1–
Team2	Miami Heat |years2–present
Highlights	6× NBA All-Star (2006–2011) All-NBA Second Team () NBA All-Rookie First Team ()
Medaltemplates	}}

Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who plays power forward for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

A high school "Mr. Basketball" in Texas, Bosh left college at Georgia Tech after one season to enter the 2003 NBA Draft. He was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors in a very competitive draft class. While at Toronto, Bosh emerged as one of the young stars in the league; he became a five-time NBA All-Star, was named to the All-NBA second team once, appeared for the US national team (with whom he won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics), and took over former fan-favorite Vince Carter as the face and leader of the Raptors franchise. In the 2006–07 season, Bosh led the Raptors to their first NBA Playoffs berth in five years, and their first ever division title. He left Toronto as its all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, double doubles, free throws made and attempted, and minutes played.

Bosh was nicknamed "CB4" by Toronto Raptors play-by-play commentator Chuck Swirsky, a combination of Bosh's initials and then jersey number. Seeking to promote sports and education amongst youths in Dallas and Toronto, Bosh set up the Chris Bosh Foundation and regularly speaks to youths about the benefits of reading.

Early life

Born in Dallas, Texas, to Noel and Freida Bosh, Chris Bosh grew up in Hutchins, Texas. A family-oriented person, Bosh often played basketball in the house with his younger brother, Joel. By four years of age, he began learning how to dribble a basketball in the gym where his dad played pick-up games. Although Bosh was always tall since youth and this allowed him to out-rebound others in basketball games, he only started learning the game around fourth grade at a playground near his grandmother's house. Apart from basketball, Bosh also played baseball up until high school, preferring to play as first baseman. Growing up, Bosh names his parents as the biggest influences on his personality and considered NBA superstar Kevin Garnett as his favorite athlete, modeling his play after him. Academically, Bosh always did well in school but he began to garner significant attention from college recruiters when he led Lincoln High School in Dallas to the number one ranking in the country and the ''USA Today'' National Championship with a perfect 40–0 season.

The teenager went on to lead Lincoln High to win the Class 4A state title before 16,990 fans as he racked up 23 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocks. Bosh was subsequently named High School Player of the Year by Basketball America, Powerade Player of the Year in Texas, a First-team all-American by ''Parade'', McDonald's and EA Sports, a Second-team all-American by ''USA Today'' and ''SLAM'' Magazine, a First-team all-state player, and "Mr. Basketball" in Texas by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. With his combination of grades and basketball skills, Bosh was on a number of college recruiting lists. The University of Florida and the University of Memphis made serious attempts, but it was Paul Hewitt, coach of the Georgia Tech, who made the best impression. Bosh felt Hewitt would look out for his best interests and respect his aspirations to play professional basketball; moreover, Georgia Tech's transition offense impressed the teenager.

Bosh eventually chose to follow the footsteps of his cousin and aunt and attended Georgia Tech to study graphic design and computer imaging, and subsequently, management. There, he led the Yellow Jackets in averaging 15.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 31 games, and led the Atlantic Coast Conference in field goal percentage (.560), joining Antawn Jamison as the only freshmen ever to do so. Bosh originally intended to complete his degree, but by the end of the 2002–03 season, his strong performances convinced him that he was ready for the NBA. He left Georgia Tech after his freshman season and entered the 2003 NBA Draft. Although Bosh said in future interviews that he misses his college days, he believes he made the right decision to pursue a professional career. He also intends to obtain a college degree in the future, to fulfill a promise made to his mother.

NBA career

Toronto Raptors

Rookie year (2003–04)

In a strong draft class including future All-Stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade, Bosh was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2003 NBA Draft and was signed on July 8, 2003. Prior to his signing, however, other NBA teams made offers for Bosh as they knew Toronto needed a veteran scorer, and Raptors star Vince Carter himself pressed for a trade. General Manager Glen Grunwald turned everyone down.

In his rookie season Bosh was forced to play out of position as the Raptors' starting center after Antonio Davis was traded to the Chicago Bulls. Night in and night out the wiry teenager battled against opponents who had a significant size and strength advantage over him. Bosh—who cited teammate Michael Curry as his mentor—was often praised by his coaches for his heart, and willingness to play through pain and injuries resulting from his lack of body strength compared to some of the league's strong forwards and centers. Bosh's contributions were not unnoticed by teammates either, as he averaged 11.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 33.5 minutes in 75 games, leading all rookies in rebounding and blocks, and setting a franchise record for most rebounds in a rookie season with 557. Bosh was rewarded by being selected to the All-Rookie First Team for the 2003–04 season.

Heralded as the new hope (2004–06)

With the departure of the disenchanted franchise face of the team, Vince Carter, in December 2004, Bosh was simultaneously anointed as the new leader around whom Toronto would build. In the remaining games following Carter's departure, the power forward averaged 18.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 38.1 minutes per game, improving in every major statistical category. He was awarded his first ever NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played between 3 and 9 January 2005. As the season drew to a close, analysts predicted that Bosh would become an All-Star one day. Bosh ended the 2004–05 season as the leading scorer and leading rebounder for the team on 21 and 46 occasions respectively.

Prior to the 2005–06 season, Bosh was named as one of Toronto's team captains. Bosh continued to work on his game as he consistently chalked up double doubles, leading the team in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage for the first half of the season. On February 9, 2006, for the first time in his career, Bosh was selected to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas as a reserve forward for the Eastern Conference. He was only the third Raptor to make an All-Star game, after Carter and Antonio Davis. Bosh's selection was just three days after he was named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second time in his career. In March 2006, following a season-ending injury to Bosh, the Raptors hit a 1–10 skid. This highlighted Bosh's importance as the centerpiece of the offense, as well as the leader of the team. The Raptors finished the season 27–55 and Bosh averaged 22.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.

Despite a major off-season revamp of the Raptors roster—including the departure of good friends Mike James and Charlie Villanueva—Bosh officially signed a three-year contract extension with a player option for a fourth year on July 14, 2006. The deal was reportedly worth US$65 million over four years. Upon signing the contract, Bosh said "I think the future is very positive for the franchise... change was needed... we have a lot of guys who just want to win and are willing to work hard." During the same press conference, Bosh also announced a donation of $1,000,000 to a Toronto charity, known as Community Legacy Programs.

Leader of the division champions (2006–07)

After a shaky start to the Raptors' 2006–07 campaign, the Raptors managed to surpass the 0.500 mark as the All-Star break approached. Bosh's play and leadership were pivotal to this run and as an increasing recognition of his abilities, on January 25, 2007, he was named an All-Star starter for the East in the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. Bosh received the second highest number of votes among all Eastern Conference forwards. This was his first All-Star start and second overall All-Star appearance, having averaged over 22 points and 11 rebounds in the first half of the season. On January 31, 2007, in a game against the Washington Wizards, Bosh scored a buzzer-beating shot to end the third quarter of the game. He shot 15-of-15 after missing his first four shots. Bosh's in-form streak enabled him to be selected Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January 2007. He had averaged 25.4 points and 9.1 rebounds while leading the Raptors to a 10–5 record in that month. On February 7, 2007, Bosh's career-high 41 points prompted the home fans to chant "MVP"—an unprecedented event in the Air Canada Centre. Two days later, Bosh collected 29 points and 11 rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers, shooting 10-of-10 in the second half.

On March 28, 2007, Bosh became the new franchise record holder for double doubles in a home win against the Miami Heat. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the third time in his career shortly after, having led Toronto to clinch their first NBA Playoffs berth in five years. Toronto went on to win its first ever division title, and concluded the regular season with a 47–35 record, including a 30–11 home record, both franchise records. As third seed, the Raptors played sixth seed New Jersey Nets in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs. The series drew much media attention as Carter, who left had Toronto under acrimonious circumstances, was back at the ACC as a Net. In the opening game, while Carter was constantly booed by the home crowd and was not an offensive threat, Toronto's inexperience was evident as they struggled offensively and were down 65–78 going into the fourth quarter. A late rally by Toronto in the fourth quarter was not enough as they eventually lost 91–96. The Raptors won Game 2 at the ACC to tie the series 1–1, as Bosh recorded 25 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. The Nets won games 3 and 4 to lead 3–1, but Toronto forced Game 6 when they narrowly won 98–96 in Game 5. New Jersey won Game 6, however, and sent Toronto out of the first round. Bosh averaged a double-double with 22.6 ppg and 10.7 rpg for the regular season, both career-highs, and posted 17.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg for the playoffs. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team at the end of the 2006–07 campaign.

Struggles (2007–09)

Before the 2007–08 season began, Andrea Bargnani, the number one pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, was slated to start at center and Bosh at power forward to form a strong Toronto frontcourt and Jason Kapono, a three-point specialist, was acquired via free agency from the Miami Heat to add offensive firepower; however, as the season unfolded, neither plans materialized as hoped. Bosh himself had a slow start to the season, but as mid-season approached, his form picked up and he was named Player of the Week for the second week of January. On January 31, 2008, he was selected to be on the Eastern Conference team for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. In the meantime, Toronto continued to struggle and their problems were exacerbated when regular starting point guard T. J. Ford returned from injury and became frustrated playing backup to José Calderón. Nevertheless, even with injuries to Bosh (15 games), Jorge Garbajosa (75 games) and Ford (31 games), the Raptors concluded the regular season with a 41–41 record, and clinched the sixth seed for the 2008 NBA Playoffs. However, they were defeated by the Orlando Magic in the first round, losing 4–1.

The first-round series against the Magic was touted as the matchup between two of the league's best young big men in Dwight Howard and Bosh, but the Raptors were perceived to have an advantage because of their dual-point guard play. But Orlando held home court advantage, and the Raptors were unable to win the first two games in Amway Arena. In Game 1, Bargnani started at small forward. This did not matter, as Orlando took a huge lead in the first quarter. Howard dominated the game, finishing with 22 points, 25 rebounds and 5 blocks. The stifling defense held Toronto to 37.6% shooting. Bosh finished 4 for 11 from the field (13 of 13 in freethrows) and the Raptors lost by 14. Game 2 started similarly to Game 1, with Howard's dominance propelling the Magic to a sizeable lead, but solid plays from Bosh, Kapono and Calderón put the Raptors in front late in the fourth quarter. The Magic came back, and with 9 seconds left on the clock, Bosh missed 18-foot jumper as time expired, giving the Magic a one-point win. In Game 3, Ford and Calderón stepped up, and the Raptors preserved some hope with a 108–94 home win. In Game 4, the teams were almost tied going into the fourth quarter. Despite Bosh recording 39 points and 15 rebounds, deadly shooting by the Magic in the final few minutes ensured victory for the visitors. Back on the road in Game 5, Toronto was outplayed by the Magic in the second half, and the Raptors eliminated from the first round four games to one. General Manager Bryan Colangelo said at a press conference thereafter, "Whether it's protecting [Bosh] inside the paint, getting a little bit more of a presence in there, to just getting him another scorer that's going to shoulder some of that burden, it's something that's clear we have to get better", hinting that the roster was in need of an overhaul. Bosh said after the loss, "They played a great series, they executed on offence and defense better than we did and when it came to the small things, they did a better job... I can't sit here and bark in protest that the better team didn't win. That's pretty obvious. They beat us pretty good." Unlike the previous campaign, Bosh was not named to any of the All-NBA teams.

To provide Bosh with an experienced frontcourt partner, the Raptors pulled blockbuster trade prior to the 2008–09 campaign: six-time All-Star Jermaine O'Neal was acquired from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Ford, Rasho Nesterovič, and Roy Hibbert, the 17th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Bosh—who had won an Olympic gold medal with the national team at Beijing 2008—started the season strong and playing better defense than ever. He averaged 26 points, 10 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his first three games and was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the fifth time in his career. A week later, he became Toronto's all-time leader in offensive rebounds, surpassing Antonio Davis's record. While Bosh and O'Neal formed a formidable partnership in the frontcourt, the Raptors struggled to surpass the .500 mark. The principal deficiency of previous campaigns—wing players—continued to upend Toronto's progress. With the Raptors at 8–9, head coach Sam Mitchell was sacked and replaced by Jay Triano. Under the new regime, Bargnani finally blossomed as a player, but injuries and weaknesses in the roster meant that the Raptors entered the All-Star break 13 games under .500. On January 29, 2009, Bosh was named an All-Star reserve, but an injury ruled him out of the game. Two weeks later, in a bid to bring in a wing player and create greater salary flexibility, O'Neal and Jamario Moon were traded to Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. The trade did not improve the team's win–loss record, however, and the Raptors were eliminated from contention with seven games of the regular season remaining. The bright spark in Bosh's campaign was his career-high 22.7 points per game, as well as his being one of two players in the league that season (the other being Dwight Howard) to average a 20/10 in points and rebounds. On April 20, 2009, Colangelo announced that he would offer Bosh a contract extension during the summer, which Bosh later refused to sign.

Overhauling the roster (2009–10)

To prepare for the 2009–10 season, Bosh worked out under Ken Roberson, looking to add 20 pounds and bring his weight up to 250. Following the failure of the 2008–09 campaign, Colangelo knew that he had to shake up the roster to persuade Bosh to stay, and the Raptors were one of the busiest teams in the pre-season market. Toronto's lack of wing players was addressed by the drafting of DeMar DeRozan. They then managed to get Hedo Türkoğlu to renege on a verbal commitment to sign with the Portland Trail Blazers and obtained him in a sign-and-trade with the Orlando Magic. They also traded for Antoine Wright and Marco Belinelli, while Bosh's former Georgia Tech teammate and then-Indiana point guard Jarrett Jack was also signed as a free agent. Reggie Evans, Amir Johnson, Sonny Weems and former Raptors Rasho Nesterovič and Pops Mensah-Bonsu were acquired in separate transactions to add front court depth. They opened their season with a win against the heavily favored Cleveland Cavaliers, in which Bosh scored 21 points and pulled down 16 rebounds. Bosh went on a tear, averaging 25.4 points and 11.9 rebounds in the first 16 games, but the Raptors were only able to win seven of those games. In that period, Bosh was also the league leader in rebounds, rebounds per game, free throws made and attempted, and double doubles.

The Raptors crossed into 2010 with a 16–17 record, and on January 3, 2010, Bosh overtook Vince Carter as Toronto's all-time leader in total points scored. After pulling together a string of wins, Toronto were .500 after 40 games, and Bosh remained the league leader in double doubles, being only one of two players in the league who averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. On January 20, 2010, he scored a career-high 44 points in a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks, while collecting his 220th career double double. That same month, Bosh was named a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, and was Eastern Conference Player of the Week. After the All-Star break, the Raptors went on several losing streaks and injuries to Bosh and Türkoğlu exacerbated the situation. As the regular season came to a close, the Raptors went from being the fifth seed before the All-Star break to fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot with the Chicago Bulls. After recording his 44th double double on March 22, 2010, Bosh became the Raptors' all-time leader in number of double doubles in a season. On April 5, 2010, he was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, winning the honor for the seventh time in his career (tying Carter for the most in franchise history). However, Bosh was unable to play in a pivotal match against the Bulls on April 11, 2010. The blowout loss cost Toronto their tie-breaker and ultimately the eighth seed, as the Bulls finished with 41 wins to Toronto's 40.

Miami Heat (2010–present)

After the 2009–10 season was over, there was much speculation over whether coveted free agents such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh would sign with new teams for the 2010–11 season. Bosh was active on the social media front, posting his thoughts on Twitter and having a documentary crew record his meetings with the teams interested in signing him. On July 9, 2010, Bosh officially completed a sign-and-trade deal with the Miami Heat, teaming up with Wade and James. His parting message to the Raptors on his website said: "know that this was my toughest decision, mostly because Toronto has been so great to me. I've loved every minute here and I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart to the Raptors..." Not only did Bosh leave Toronto as its all-time leader in virtually all major statistical categories, he was one of only three players in the league who accrued 10,000 points, 4,500 rebounds, and 600 blocks in his seven seasons with the Raptors.

Despite being widely tipped as contenders, the Heat got off to a tentative 9–8 start, and Bosh was perceived to be under-performing. The Heat managed to go on to compile a 21–1 record, however, and were jostling with the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls for pole position in the Eastern Conference as mid-season approached. Miami finished the regular season with 58 wins and faced Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs. Miami won the series in five games, and also prevailed in five games in the semi-finals against Boston. In the Conference Finals against Chicago, Bosh was particularly instrumental, averaging 23.2 points in the 4–1 series win. He was slow off the blocks in the Finals against Dallas, shooting below .300 in the first two games, but scored the winning shot in Game 3 to give Miami a 2–1 lead. That was the last game Miami won, as Dallas won the next three to win its first ever championship.

NBA career statistics

:''Correct as of June 12, 2011''

Regular season

|- |align="left"|2003–04 |align="left"|Toronto |75||63||33.5||.459||.357||.701||7.4||1.0||.8||1.4||11.5 |- |align="left"|2004–05 |align="left"|Toronto |81||81||37.2||.471||.300||.760||8.9||1.9||.9||1.4||16.8 |- |align="left"|2005–06 |align="left"|Toronto |70||70||39.3||.505||.000||.816||9.2||2.6||.7||1.1||22.5 |- |align="left"|2006–07 |align="left"|Toronto |69||69||38.5||.496||.343||.785||10.7||2.5||.6||1.3||22.6 |- |align="left"|2007–08 |align="left"|Toronto |67||67||36.2||.494||.400||.844||8.7||2.6||.9||1.0||22.3 |- |align="left"|2008–09 |align="left"|Toronto |77||77||38.0||.487||.245||.817||10.0||2.5||.9||1.0||22.7 |- |align="left"|2009–10 |align="left"|Toronto |70||70||36.1||.518||.364||.797||10.8||2.4||.6||1.0||24.0 |- |align="left"|2010–11 |align="left"|Miami |77||77||36.3||.496||.240||.815||8.3||1.9||.8||.6||18.7 |- |align="left"|Career |align="left"| |586||574||36.9||.493||.290||.798||9.2||2.1||.8||1.1||20.0 |- |align="left"|All-Star |align="left"| |5||2||22.2||.564||.000||.533||7.4||1.4||.4||.2||14.0

Playoffs

|- |align="left"|2006–07 |align="left"|Toronto |6||6||37.0||.396||.200||.842||9.0||2.5||.8||1.8||17.5 |- |align="left"|2007–08 |align="left"|Toronto |5||5||39.8||.472||.143||.833||9.0||3.6||1.6||.4||24.0 |- |align="left"|2010–11 |align="left"|Miami |21||21||39.7||.474||.000||.814||8.5||1.1||.7||.9||18.6 |- |align="left"|Career |align="left"| |32||32||39.2||.459||.125||.823||8.7||1.8||.9||1.0||19.2

International career

Bosh's international career began in 2002 when he was selected as a member of the 2002 USA Basketball Junior World Championship Qualifying Team that finished with a 4–1 record and the bronze medal.

After his NBA career began, Bosh was named in March 2006 to the 2006–2008 United States men's national basketball team program, and helped lead the team to a 5–0 record during its pre-World Championship tour. In August 2006, Bosh was named as a member of the 2006 USA World Championship Team. Together with fellow 2003 draftees Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kirk Hinrich, this team competed in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. The team won the bronze medal, defeating former 2004 Olympic champion Argentina. Bosh was ranked sixth in field goal percentage.

Following the 2006–07 season, Bosh was named to the team that would compete in the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship. However, he sustained a foot injury and withdrew from the squad. On June 23, 2008, he was named to the team that would compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. During the tournament itself, Bosh operated as the main backup to center Dwight Howard as Team USA went unbeaten in all eight games en route to the gold medal, defeating Spain in the final. He averaged 9.1 points per game, and led the team in rebounds with 6.1 a game.

Player profile

Bosh primarily plays the power forward position though he occasionally logs time at center. Listed at 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) and 235 pounds (107 kg), Bosh possesses excellent speed, athleticism, and ball handling for a player of his size. He is particularly noted for his ability to drive to the basket and finish strong or get to the free throw line—where he is also proficient—but he is also known for his well-developed jump shot. Indiana Pacers coach Jim O'Brien once commented on the match-up problems Bosh posed for opposing defenders: "We've tried over the years to put big guys on him. It doesn't work. We've tried to put small guys on him. It doesn't seem to work either. I don't know if we have somebody to play Bosh, to tell you the truth." When he was the centerpiece of the Raptors' offense, Bosh was often double teamed, and he was noted to unselfishly pass the ball to team mates who were in better shooting positions. He improved his shooting range when he worked on his three point shooting during the summer of 2006 and showed improvement in the 2006–07 season. On November 8, 2006, against the Philadelphia Sixers, he hit a game-winning three point shot with 6.1 seconds left. It was reminiscent of the shot that marked his "arrival" to the NBA in his first season, when he hit a game-tying three pointer against Houston to send the game to overtime. When the 2006–07 season concluded, Bosh had shot .343 from the three point arc for the season; he improved to .400 the following season.

In terms of leadership, Bosh has always led by example. When he was the leader of the Raptors, he was not known for being vocal on the court, preferring to maintain his quiet and humble demeanor but expecting his team mates to match his work ethic. However, Bosh was also known to deliver stern rebukes to team mates who make bad calls on the court. Throughout his career, comparisons have been made between him and Kevin Garnett due to their similar style of play and physique. Whereas the former does not possess the latter's defensive abilities, Bosh was observed to have adopted a greater defensive dimension to his game after his stint with Team USA at the 2008 Olympics where they won the gold medal.

Salaries

{|class="wikitable sortable" |- !Season!!Team!!Salary |- |2003–04||Toronto||$2,911,320 |- |2004–05||Toronto||$3,129,720 |- |2005–06||Toronto||$3,348,000 |- |2006–07||Toronto||$4,235,220 |- |2007–08||Toronto||$12,455,000 |- |2008–09||Toronto||$14,410,581 |- |2009–10||Toronto||$15,779,912 |- |2010–11||Miami||$14,500,000 |}

Honors and achievements

NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month: January 2007

NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week: January 3, 2005; January 30, 2006; March 26, 2007; January 7, 2008; October 28, 2008; February 1, 2010; April 5, 2010

NBA Atlantic Division Champion: 2006–07

NBA Southeast Division Champion: 2010–11

NBA All-Star: 2005–06; 2006–07; 2007–08; 2008–09 (did not participate due to injury); 2009–10; 2010–11

All-NBA Second Team: 2006–07

NBA All-Rookie Team: 2003–04

NBA Rookie All-Star Game: 2003–04; 2004–05

Bronze medal winner with Team USA at the 2006 FIBA World Championship

Gold medal winner with Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Other achievements

Third-youngest player in NBA history to record 1,000 rebounds Fourth-youngest player in NBA history to record 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game

Toronto's all-time leader in minutes played

Toronto's first player to achieve 10,000 points

Toronto's all-time leader in points scored Toronto's all-time leader in rebounds Toronto's all-time leader in defensive rebounds Toronto's all-time leader in offensive rebounds

Toronto's all-time leader in rebounds per game

Toronto's all-time leader in rebounds per game in a season

Toronto's all-time leader in blocks

Toronto's all-time leader in free throws made

Toronto's all-time leader in free throws made in a season

Toronto's all-time leader in free throws attempted

Toronto's all-time leader in free throws attempted in a season

Toronto's all-time leader in double-doubles

Toronto's all-time leader in double-doubles in a season

NBA Sportsmanship Award (divisional winner): 2007–08

Personal life

Besides his on-the-court exploits, Bosh was a National Honor Society member and graduated with honors from Lincoln. He is also a member of the National Society of Black Engineers and the Dallas Association of Minority Engineers. Following his success in the NBA, Bosh soon had his own YouTube channel, and has since made various TV appearances. In December 2009, First Ink, a DVD featuring comedic digital shorts and a documentary about Bosh was released. The DVD was filmed during the summer of 2009.

In the field of philanthropy, given that he was only a few years removed from a childhood not without its financial challenges, Bosh established the Chris Bosh Foundation in 2004. The Foundation's website describes the Foundation as "a non-profit organization promoting social enrichment, education and physical fitness among youth. The Foundation assists youth in reaching the educational and athletic goals they set through mentoring and setting examples in the community." The Foundation, with programs in Toronto and Dallas, has worked closely with organizations such as the Toronto Special Olympics to raise important funding for community projects. Bosh's mother, Freida, is the CEO of the Foundation. As an avid reader, Bosh also regularly speaks to groups of Toronto children about the benefits of reading, and has received the NBA Community Assist Award for his active contributions for the Raptors community development program in Toronto and Dallas during the course of the NBA campaign. In November 2008, Bosh pledged to donate $75,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada.

Though it has been rumored that Bosh married Adrienne Nicole Williams in April 2011, he is currently saying that they have not yet wed.

Paternity lawsuit

On March 24, 2009, it was reported that Bosh's former girlfriend, Allison Mathis, was seeking child support and sole custody of their child. Mathis alleged that when she was seven months pregnant, Bosh stopped supporting her financially and tried to remove her from their home. Three days later, it was reported that the dispute was only over the amount Bosh paid. Mathis' lawyer also told the press, "My client very much wanted this dispute to remain private. Certainly this thing did not get started by anything on our side... She is very distressed that somehow this thing got into the newspapers. She wants Trinity to have a good relationship with her dad, Chris Bosh, and adverse publicity makes that more difficult."

See also

Toronto Raptors accomplishments and records

Notes

Though NBA.com lists Bosh's weight as 235 pounds, the ''Toronto Star'' has reported that Bosh now weighs closer to 250 pounds (113 kg).

References

External links

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets profile

ESPN Profile

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Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American expatriate basketball people in Canada Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Texas Category:Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Miami Heat players Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Sportspeople from Dallas, Texas Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Toronto Raptors draft picks Category:Toronto Raptors players Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Olympic medalists in basketball

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name	Skip Bayless
birthname	John Edward Bayless II
birth date	December 04, 1951
birth place	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
education	Vanderbilt University
occupation	Television Sports Commentator (ESPN) commentator, sportswriter, sportswriter
credits	''ESPN First Take''(see ''Cold Pizza'')''1st and 10''
url	http://www.espnmediazone.com/bios/Talent/SkipBayless-Bio.htm Skip Bayless on ESPN }}

Skip Bayless (born John Bayless II on December 4, 1951 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is an American journalist and television personality. Bayless regularly appears on ESPN2's ''ESPN First Take'' and its afternoon show ''1st and 10''. Bayless previously wrote regular columns for ESPN.com and its "Page 2" section.

Schooling and family

Bayless was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The first child of John and Levita Bayless, he was named John Edward Bayless II on his birth certificate, but his father immediately began calling him Skip or Skipper. The name stuck, and Skip Bayless was never called John by his parents. He eventually had his name legally changed to Skip. His brother is the chef, restaurant owner and TV personality Rick Bayless.

Bayless graduated from Northwest Classen High School and Vanderbilt University.

Bayless is a member of the inaugural class of the Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame.

Writing career

Bayless went directly from Vanderbilt to ''The Miami Herald'', where he wrote sports features for two years before being hired away by the ''Los Angeles Times''. There, he was best known for investigative stories on the Dodgers' clubhouse resentment of "golden boy" Steve Garvey and his celebrity wife Cyndy and on Rams owner Carroll Rosenbloom's behind-the-scenes decisions to start different quarterbacks each week (James Harris, Pat Haden or Ron Jaworski). Bayless also won the Eclipse Award for his coverage of Seattle Slew's Triple Crown.

At 25, Bayless was hired by ''The Dallas Morning News'' to write its lead sports column, and two years later, the rival ''Dallas Times Herald'' hired him away by making him one of the country's highest paid sports columnists—prompting ''The Wall Street Journal'' to do a story on the development. Bayless was voted Texas sportswriter of the year three times.

In 1989, Bayless wrote ''God's Coach'', about the rise and fall of Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys. Following the Cowboys' Super Bowl victory in 1993, Bayless wrote ''The Boys'', which broke the story that coach Jimmy Johnson and owner Jerry Jones were not "best friends" and correctly predicted that Jones would fire Johnson no matter how much success the team had. (Jones fired Johnson after the Cowboys won another Super Bowl the following year.)

Following a third Cowboys Super Bowl win in four seasons, Bayless wrote the third and final book of his Cowboys trilogy, ''Hell-Bent: The Crazy Truth About the "Win or Else" Dallas Cowboys''. After covering the Cowboys through the 1996 season, Bayless chose to leave Dallas after 17 years and become the lead sports columnist for the ''Chicago Tribune''. In his first year in Chicago, Bayless won the Lisagor Award for excellence in sports column writing and was voted Illinois sportswriter of the year.

Bayless eventually had a highly publicized dispute with the ''Tribune'''s executive editor, Ann Marie Lipinski, over limiting all ''Tribune'' columns to just 650 or so words. Bayless quit over the policy and was immediately hired by Knight Ridder Corporation to write for its flagship newspaper, the ''San Jose Mercury News''. While in San Jose, Bayless became a fixture on ESPN's ''Rome is Burning'' and in a weekly Sunday Morning ''SportsCenter'' debate with Stephen A. Smith, "Old School/Nu Skool." ESPN hired Bayless full-time in 2004 to team with Woody Paige on ESPN2's ''Cold Pizza'' and to write columns for ESPN.com. In 2007, Bayless stopped writing columns to concentrate on what is now called ''ESPN First Take'' (formerly ''Cold Pizza'') and on ESPN's afternoon show, ''First and 10'', as well as increased presence on ESPN's 6 p.m. ''SportsCenter'' with segments such as "The Budweiser Hotseat".

Radio and television

Skip Bayless has occasionally substituted as host for syndicated radio program ''The Jim Rome Show''. He has also previously contributed to ''ESPN'' as a recurring panelist on ''The Sports Reporters'', ''NFL Prime Monday'' (now ''ESPN Monday Night Countdown'') in the 1990s, and ''Jim Rome is Burning''. For three years (1998–2001), Bayless was a contributor at major championships for the Golf Channel.

KTCK Sports Radio 1310 "The Ticket"

In 1994 Bayless left his show at KLIF in Dallas to help start the city's first sports talk radio station, KTCK Sports Radio 1310, "The Ticket." For two years Bayless was the primary host on the 6-9 a.m. morning show as "the Ticket" became one of the country's most successful sports stations. Bayless also was an original investor and when the ownership decided to accept a lucrative offer to sell the station, the new owners bought out Bayless' contract. He immediately became a regular on ESPN Radio's first national show, ''The Fabulous Sports Babe'', and later co-hosted a weekend show on ESPN Radio with Larry Beil. He was also a regular on Chet Coppock's show on Sporting News Radio. For three years he was the primary guest host on ''The Jim Rome Show''.

''Cold Pizza''/''ESPN First Take''

Bayless is featured in debate segments on what is now known as ''ESPN First Take'' (née ''Cold Pizza''), and the segments are re-aired as ''First and 10'' in the afternoons. Bayless debates the day's 10 hottest sports topics with a rotation of sportswriters and ex-athletes including Stephen A. Smith, Greg Anthony, Jalen Rose, Marcellus Wiley, Shaun King, and 2 Live Stews (Ryan and Doug Stewart). Donovan McNabb, Donnie Wahlberg, and rappers Lil Wayne, Bow Wow, Wale have also taken on Bayless. He has also taken on Chad Ochocinco twice, once during the preseason in the Cincinnati Bengals locker room and again in Bristol on October 29, 2009, during the Bengals bye week.

Bayless lists his top five NBA players as of June 15, 2011: Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony.

Cultural References

He, along with Woody Paige and Jay Crawford, appeared in a cameo role in the film Rocky Balboa. The three were seen on their First and 10 segment discussing a possible fight between a retired Balboa and current heavyweight champion Mason Dixon. Bayless opined that Balboa, "was completely overrated," and mocked his age.

Bibliography

''God's Coach: The Hymns, Hype, and Hipocrisy of Tom Landry's Cowboys'', Simon and Schuster, 1990. ISBN 0-671-70581-4.

''The Boys: The Untold Story of the Dallas Cowboys' Season on the Edge'', Simon and Schuster, 1993. ISBN 0-671-79359-4.

''Hell-Bent: The Crazy Truth About the "Win or Else" Dallas Cowboys'', HarperCollins Publishers, 1996. ISBN 0-06-018648-8.

See also

Rick Bayless – celebrity chef and brother of Skip Bayless

References

External links

Skip Bayless ESPN Bio

Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:American sports radio personalities Category:American sportswriters Category:Writers from Oklahoma Category:People from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Category:Vanderbilt University alumni

name	D. J. White
number	8
position	Power Forward
height ft	6
height in	9
weight lb	251
league	NBA
team	Charlotte Bobcats
birth date	August 31, 1986
birth place	Tuscaloosa, Alabama
nationality	American
high school	Hillcrest (Tuscaloosa)
college	Indiana (2004–2008)
draft year	2008
draft round	1
draft pick	29
draft team	Detroit Pistons
career start	2008
years1	2009
team1	Oklahoma City Thunder
years2	2009
team2	→Tulsa 66ers (D-League)
years3	2009
team3	Oklahoma City Thunder
years4	2009–2010
team4	→Tulsa 66ers (D-League)
years5	2010
team5	Oklahoma City Thunder
years6	2010
team6	→Tulsa 66ers (D-League)
years7	2010–2011
team7	Oklahoma City Thunder
years8	2011–present
team8	Charlotte Bobcats
highlights	Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2004) Big Ten Player of the Year (2008) Consensus NCAA All-American Second Team (2008)
bbr	whitedj01d
letter	w
profile	dj_white }}

Dewayne "D. J." White, Jr. (born August 31, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association. His primary position is power forward but he also plays at center. He was selected with the 29th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons but his rights were traded to the Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City). He signed with Oklahoma City on July 5, 2008 along with Russell Westbrook.

White is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and attended Hillcrest High School.

College career

During his freshman season with the Indiana Hoosiers, White led all freshmen in the Big Ten Conference in scoring. He was named by Rivals.com as a Freshman All-American, and was named a 5-star recruit by Scout.com. He was also selected as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. In 2008 he was named Big Ten Player of the Year and to the First Team All-Big Ten. He was also named Second Team All-American in 2008.

Professional career

White was drafted with the 29th pick of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons and traded the same day to the Seattle SuperSonics, who were relocating to Oklahoma City. White's rookie season was delayed when he had to undergo surgery on his jaw to remove a benign growth, causing him to miss the first five months of the season. He finally made his professional debut for the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA D-League on March 18, 2009. After six games with Tulsa, White made his NBA debut with the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 5, 2009 against the Indiana Pacers. During his rookie season, White played in seven games for the Thunder and averaged 8.9 points and 4.6 rebounds.

In the 2009-10 season, White appeared in eight games with Oklahoma City, averaging 4.8 points and 1.9 rebounds, before requiring surgery in January to repair a fractured thumb. After recovering, White was assigned to the Tulsa 66ers on March 4, 2010. He was recalled just five days later on March 9 after averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds in four starts for Tulsa. On March 21, White received a standing ovation upon entering the contest during an away game against the Indiana Pacers in the state where he played in college. White scored six points and grabbed two rebounds in 10 minutes of playing time during the game. White returned to the 66ers on April 7, 2010.

For the beginning of the 2010-2011 season, White was retained on the Thunder's 15-man roster, with the Thunder exercising its fourth-year contract option on White on October 25, 2010. On February 24, 2011, White and Morris Peterson were traded to the Charlotte Bobcats for Nazr Mohammed.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Oklahoma City | 7 || 0 || 18.6 || .520 || .000 || .769 || 4.6 || 0.9 || 0.4 || 0.7 || 8.9 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Oklahoma City | 12 || 0 || 8.5 || .610 || .000 || .900 || 1.9 || 0.3 || 0.4 || 0.2 || 4.9 |- | align="left" | 2010–11 | align="left" | Oklahoma City | 23 || 0 || 9.5 || .462 || .000 || .500 || 2.2 || 0.2 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 2.8 |- | align="left" | 2010–11 | align="left" | Charlotte | 24 || 0 || 19.4 || .526 || .000 || .759 || 4.4 || 0.6 || 0.3 || 0.5 || 8.5 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 66 || 0 || 13.9 || .523 || .000 || .747 || 3.3 || 0.4 || 0.4 || 0.3 || 5.9

As of April 13, 2011

References

External links

D. J. White statistics at basketball-reference.com

D. J. White bio at iuhoosiers.com

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Alabama Category:Detroit Pistons draft picks Category:Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Oklahoma City Thunder players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Tuscaloosa, Alabama Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Tulsa 66ers players Category:Basketball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Category:Charlotte Bobcats players

es:D. J. White fr:D. J. White hr:D. J. White it:D.J. White pl:D.J. White

Width	235px
Position	Small Forward
Height ft	6
Height in	8
Weight lb	250
Team	Miami Heat
Number	6
Nationality	American
Birth date	December 30, 1984
Birth place	Akron, Ohio, United States
Draft round	1
Draft pick	1
Draft year	2003
Draft team	Cleveland Cavaliers
Career start	2003
High school	St. Vincent – St. Mary High School
Profile	lebron_james
Team1	Cleveland Cavaliers |years1–
Team2	Miami Heat |years2–present
Highlights	2× NBA Most Valuable Player (–) NBA Rookie of the Year () 7× NBA All-Star (2005–2011) NBA Scoring Champion () 5× All-NBA First Team (, –) 2× All-NBA Second Team (, ) 3× All-Defensive First Team (–) NBA All-Rookie First Team () 2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2006, 2008) Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2003)
Medaltemplates	}}

LeBron Raymone James (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a sophomore at St. Vincent – St. Mary High School. He was selected with the number one pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers and signed a shoe contract with Nike before his professional debut. Listed as a small forward, James has set numerous youngest player records since joining the league. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003–04, was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008–09 and 2009–10, and has been both an All-NBA selection and an All-Star every season since 2005. In 2010, a much-publicized free agency process ended with James signing with the Miami Heat. He became the third reigning NBA MVP to change teams and the first since Moses Malone in 1982.

The focal point of the Cleveland offense, James led the team to consecutive playoff appearances from 2006 through 2010. In 2007, the Cavaliers advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 and to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, ultimately losing to the San Antonio Spurs. In 2011, James and the Miami Heat advanced to the NBA Finals but lost to the Dallas Mavericks in 6 games, 4–2. James has been a member of the USA national team, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and gold at the 2008 Olympics.

High school career

James attended St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, where he became a starter during his freshman year for the Fighting Irish. He averaged 21 points and 6.2 rebounds, and led the team to a 23–1 record, en route to the Division III state title. Coach Keith Dambrot started working with James doing $1 clinics at a local recreation center. In his sophomore year, James averaged 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals. He led the team to a 26–1 record and a Division III state title for the second straight season. He was the first sophomore to be named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" and became the first sophomore ever selected to the ''USA Today'' All-USA First Team.

In James' junior year his stats improved again. He averaged 29.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.3 steals and was again named Mr. Basketball of Ohio. He earned a spot on the All-USA First Team, and was named the 2001–02 boys' basketball Gatorade National Player of the Year. It was at this time that his nickname "King James" became a household staple in Ohio.

James appeared in ''SLAM Magazine'', which began his nationwide exposure. The St. Vincent–St. Mary basketball team did not defend its state title when increased enrollment forced the team to move up to the more challenging Division II (Ohio high school basketball has four divisions based on annual enrollment figures) and lost to Roger Bacon High School. James considered declaring for the 2002 draft after the season ended by petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA's draft eligibility rules, which at the time required prospective players to have at least completed high school. The petition was unsuccessful, but it ensured him an unprecedented level of nation-wide attention as he entered his senior year. By then, James had already appeared on the covers of ''Sports Illustrated'' and ''ESPN The Magazine''. His popularity forced his team to move their practices from the school gym to the nearby James A. Rhodes Arena at the University of Akron. NBA stars such as Shaquille O'Neal attended the games, and a few of James' high school games were even televised nationally on ESPN2 and regionally on pay-per-view.

In 2003, James' mother, Gloria James, got approval for a loan to buy a Hummer H2 for her son's 18th birthday. The bank took her son's future earning power into consideration, prompting an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Under the OHSAA guidelines, no amateur may accept any gift valued over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. When James later accepted two throwback jerseys of Wes Unseld and Gale Sayers worth $845 from NEXT, an urban clothing store in Shaker Square, in exchange for his posing for pictures to be displayed on the store's walls, OHSAA stripped him of his eligibility. James appealed and a judge blocked the ruling, reducing the penalty to a two-game suspension and allowing him to play the remainder of the season. James' team was forced to forfeit one of their wins as a result. That forfeit was the team's only official loss that season.

Despite the distractions, the Irish won a third state title, with James averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals on the season. James was named to the All-USA First Team for an unprecedented third time, and was selected as Mr. Basketball of Ohio for the third year in a row. He earned MVP honors at the McDonald's All-American Game, the EA Sports Roundball Classic, and the Jordan Capital Classic. Although it was a foregone conclusion, by participating in more than two high school all-star events, James officially lost his NCAA eligibility. James finished his high school career with 2,657 points, 892 rebounds and 523 assists.

James also played football during his high school years at St.Vincent-St. Mary's. In his sophomore year he was named first-team all-state as a wide receiver, and in his junior year he led his team to the state semifinals. Sports analysts have speculated on whether he could have played in the NFL.

NBA career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–2010)

Rookie season

James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Facing the Sacramento Kings in his first NBA game, James recorded 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals and shot 60% from the floor. After recording a season-high 41 points against the New Jersey Nets, James became the youngest player in league history to score at least 40 points in a game. He was scheduled to compete in the 2004 Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star weekend, although due to an ankle injury he suffered in January 2004, he was unable to participate in the contest. James averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game for the season, and was named 2003–04 NBA Rookie of the Year; becoming the first Cavalier and youngest NBA player to ever receive the award. He joined Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game in their rookie season (Tyreke Evans has since joined this group). The Cavaliers improved by 18 wins and concluded the regular season with a 35–47 record, but failed to make the playoffs.

2004–05 season

In the 2004–05 season, James was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game and recorded 13 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds, as the Eastern All-Stars defeated the Western All-Stars 125–115. During the season, James became the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double and make the All-NBA Team. He averaged 27.2 points, 7.2 assists, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game. The Cavaliers failed to reach the playoffs again and finished with a 42–40 regular season record.

2005–06 season

In the 2005–06 season, James was elected to his second straight All-Star Game appearance and led the Eastern All-Stars to a 122–120 victory, with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. He became the youngest All-Star MVP at 21 years, 51 days. He was named ''NBA Player of the Week'' for an unprecedented three consecutive weeks and concluded the season with five honors. He scored 35 or more points in nine consecutive games, joining Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only players since 1970 to accomplish the feat. For the season, James averaged 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, and became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 30 points. He became the fourth player in NBA history to average more than 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a single season. The Cavaliers made the playoffs for the first time since 1998, and improved from a record of 17–65 in 2002–03 to 50–32 in 2005–06.

Following the regular season, James was named as one of the candidates for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Although he finished second to Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns in MVP voting, he was awarded co-MVP honors with Nash by ''The Sporting News''; an award given by the publication that is based on the voting of thirty NBA general managers.

James made his playoff debut against the Washington Wizards in 2006. He recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards 97–86. He joined Johnny McCarthy and Magic Johnson as the only players in NBA history to register a triple-double in their playoff debut. For the series, James averaged 35.7 points, as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards in six games. In the process, James set a new record for turnovers in a 6-game series, with 34. In the second round of the playoffs, James and the Cavaliers lost in seven games to the defending Eastern Conference champion and divisional rival Detroit Pistons. James averaged 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in the playoffs.

At the end of the season, James negotiated a three-year contract extension, with a player option for a fourth year. The contract was worth $60 million and began at the start of the 2007–08 season. Although it was for fewer years and less money than the maximum he could sign, it allowed him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted free agent following the 2010 season. He had discussed this with fellow members of his 2003 draft class, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who also re-signed with their respective teams while allowing them to be unrestricted agents in 2010.

2006–07 season

James was elected to his third consecutive All-Star game appearance during the 2006–07 season. He played a game high 32 minutes and finished with 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. In the regular season, the Cavaliers tied the previous season's record with 50 wins and clinched the second seed of the Eastern Conference on the last day of the season. For the season, James averaged 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He joined Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game for three consecutive years.

In the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James led the Cavaliers to their first sweep in franchise history over the Washington Wizards in four games. It was the first time the franchise had won consecutive road playoff games. For the series, James averaged 27.8 points, 7.5 assists, and 8.5 rebounds. In the second round of the playoffs, James led the Cavaliers to a 4–2 series victory over the New Jersey Nets. He averaged 25.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.6 assists in the series, as the Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 15 years.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, James led the Cavaliers from an 0–2 deficit against the Detroit Pistons to win the series in six games. His performance in Game 5 was especially memorable. James recorded a franchise-record 48 points on 54.5% field goal shooting, to go with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. In addition, James scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, including the team's final 25 points in a double-overtime victory. He concluded the night with a game-winning lay-up with 2 seconds left. NBA analyst Marv Albert referred to James' performance as "one of the greatest moments in postseason history," while color commentator Steve Kerr called it "Jordan-esque."

In the 2007 NBA Finals, James averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists, as the Cavaliers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs, losing 4 consecutive games. For the postseason, James averaged 25.1 points, 8.0 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game. He set a franchise record for double-doubles in a playoff season with eight and became the first Cavalier and the first non-guard in NBA history to have at least seven assists in eight consecutive playoff games.

2007–08 season

In the 2007–08 season, James continued his dominant play, earning his fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance and once again positioning himself as one of the front runners for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He won the 2008 All-Star Game MVP with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals as the Eastern Conference All-Stars defeated their Western counterparts, 134–128.

On February 19, 2008, James recorded his fifth triple-double of the 2007–08 season by putting up 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists against the Houston Rockets. It was the fifteenth triple-double of his career. He is the third youngest player to post 15 triple-doubles, behind Robertson and Johnson. He scored his sixth triple-double of the season and sixteenth of his career against the Indiana Pacers the very next game. It was the second time during the season that he had a triple-double in back-to-back games. The last player to accomplish that feat was Johnson in 1988. James finished the season with seven triple-doubles, breaking his personal and team records for triple-doubles in a season and 17 career triple-doubles broke his team record as well.

On February 27, 2008, against the Boston Celtics, James became the youngest person to score 10,000 points in his career at 23 years and 59 days, achieving the feat in style with a slam-dunk over 11-time All-Star Kevin Garnett, eclipsing the old mark by more than a year. James did so in 368 games, the ninth fastest in league history. On March 5, 2008, James scored 50 points with 8 rebounds and 10 assists on the New York Knicks, becoming only the third player since the ABA-NBA merger to record a 50-point 10-assist game. On March 21, 2008, James scored 29 points against the Toronto Raptors, taking him past Brad Daugherty's all-time Cavaliers scoring record of 10,389 points. Daugherty achieved this record over the course of 548 games, while James took only 380 games to score 10,414 points.

All told, James propelled Cleveland to a 45–37 record, good for second place in the Central Division and the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Prior to Cleveland's first-round series versus the Washington Wizards, Wizards guard Deshawn Stevenson said James was "overrated," prompting James to say that he would not return the insult, as that would be "almost like Jay-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy." In response, Soulja Boy himself made an appearance at Game 3 of the series (played in Washington) in support of the Wizards, and his music was played over the PA system. James would later say that he meant no disrespect to Soulja Boy with his comment, and that his young son is a big fan of the rapper. Jay-Z responded by producing a freestyle version of the Too Short single "Blow the Whistle", named "Playoff", in which he "disses" Stevenson and Soulja Boy on James' behalf. The Cavaliers won the series against the Wizards in 6 games (4–2). The Cavaliers were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the next round (4–3). During the decisive seventh game, which was played in Boston, James scored 45 points, but opponent Paul Pierce's 41 led the Celtics to a narrow victory.

2008–09 season

In the 2008–09 season James continued to improve facets of his game while setting new career highs. He had 23 chase-down blocks (93 blocks in total, a career-high) and improved his free-throw shooting (78.0%, a career-high, with league-leading 594 free-throws made). He was the NBA Player of the Month four times, making him the second player in NBA history to do that after Kevin Garnett did so in his 2003–04 MVP season. In addition, he became the fourth player in NBA history to lead his team in all five major statistical categories (total points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) in one season. After a win on March 25 against the New Jersey Nets the Cleveland Cavaliers improved their record to 58–13 exceeding their previous franchise best of 57–25 set in the 1988–89 and 1991–92 NBA seasons. They ended the regular season with a league best of 66–16 after losing their final home game to the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime. The Cavaliers had a chance to tie the 1985–86 Boston Celtics for the all-time best NBA home record but ended at 39–2 after home losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and 76ers. In the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs. James averaged 32.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists in the series and became just the third player in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a postseason series. At the end of the last game, in which he tallied 36 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists on 16–17 free throw shooting, there were MVP chants for him in The Palace of Auburn Hills. On May 4, he was announced as the NBA Most Valuable Player. He became the first Cavaliers player in history to win the award.

He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team for the first time in his career.

In the next series in the playoffs, James once again led his team to a sweep against the Atlanta Hawks.

On May 22, during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Orlando Magic's Hedo Türkoğlu shot a 12-foot jumper to give the Magic a 2-point lead with 1 second left. Following a Cleveland timeout, Williams inbounded the ball to James, but heavy defense by Türkoğlu denied James a chance at a tying layup. James then attempted and made a three-point shot over Türkoğlu, giving the Cavs a 96–95 victory to tie the series 1–1. Following a Game 3 loss, James attempted another game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer in Game 4, but this time from farther away; it missed, thus dropping the Cavaliers down 3–1 in the series. After a Game 5 home win, he scored a playoff low 25 points in Game 6 and Cleveland lost the series to Orlando. James' postgame behavior incited some controversy when he left the game floor without shaking hands with his opponents. James later told reporters: }}

2009–10 season

Before the 2009–10 season, Cleveland traded for four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal to address an inside presence that was missing against Orlando. O'Neal's goal was to "Win a Ring for the King." James was selected to his sixth consecutive All-Star game appearance. He became the first player to earn at least 2.5 million votes three times. James recorded 25 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals as the Eastern Conference All-Stars defeated the Western Conference All-Stars 141–139. In a 118–116 loss to the Denver Nuggets, James tallied 43 points, 13 rebounds, 15 assists, two steals and four blocks in a game. He was the first player to have at least 40 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds in a game since Robertson did so on February 13, 1962. All-Star Antawn Jamison was acquired by the Cavs on February 17, 2010. On March 13, 2010, James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 15,000 regular season points during a 92–85 win over the Chicago Bulls.

At the end of the regular season, Cleveland finished with the best regular season record for the second consecutive year. James won the Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career, becoming the tenth NBA player in history to do so. James received 116 of a possible 122 first-place votes to win.

In the playoffs, the Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls in the first round, but fell to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. James was criticized for not playing well, especially in Game 5 of the series, in which he shot only 3 for 14 and scored 15 points. He walked off the court in that game, his final home game as a Cavalier, "to a smattering of boos and rows of empty seats" and Cleveland lost 88–120 in their worst home playoff loss in team history. Cleveland was eliminated in Game 6, James' last playing for Cleveland, as he recorded 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, but also 9 turnovers.

2010 free agency

James became a free-agent at 12:01 am ET on July 1, 2010. He filed papers to formally change his jersey number 23 to 6 for the season. James was courted by several teams, including the Knicks, Nets, Heat, Bulls, Mavericks, Clippers, and his hometown Cavaliers.

On July 8, 2010, James announced on a live ESPN special, ''The Decision'', that he would be playing for the Miami Heat for the 2010–11 season and teaming with Miami's other All-Star free agent signees Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. ''The Decision'' was broadcast from the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut.

|LeBron James}}

Wade had informed Heat President Pat Riley that James wanted to become less of a scorer and more of a distributor, and James looked forward to no longer carrying the offense night after night as he did playing with Cleveland. Riley sold to James that "LeBron would be Magic Johnson, Dwyane Wade would be Kobe Bryant, Chris would be Kevin Garnett." Relieved of the burden of scoring, James thought he could be the first player to average a triple-double in a season since Oscar Robertson.

The Cavaliers were informed of James' decision minutes before the show began. The television program drew high ratings as well as criticism for the prolonged wait until James' actual decision and the spectacle of the show itself.

In Cleveland, fans considered James' departure a betrayal that ranks second to Art Modell's efforts to relocate the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore. Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert almost immediately published an open letter to fans, denouncing James' decision as a "selfish", "heartless", "callous", and "cowardly betrayal", while guaranteeing that the Cavs would win an NBA title before the "self-declared former King." Gilbert's sports-memorabilia company Fathead also lowered the price of wall graphics depicting James from $99.99 to $17.41, the birth year of Benedict Arnold. William Rhoden of ''The New York Times'' defended James by stating that Gilbert's "venomous, face-saving personal attack", along with the ensuing "wrath of jersey-burning fans", only validated James’ decision to leave Cleveland. Reverend Jesse Jackson, American civil rights activist, said Gilbert's feelings "personify a slave master mentality", and he was treating James as "a runaway slave". J. A. Adande of ESPN said, however, that James chose to promote the drama of his decision in an hour-long television special instead of showing "common courtesy" to notify Cleveland and other teams of his plans. On July 12, 2010, NBA Commissioner David Stern fined Gilbert $100,000 for the letter's contents, while also criticizing the way James handled free agency. On July 14, James told J. R. Moehringer for a ''GQ'' article that there was "nothing at all" he would change about his handling of free agency.

Former NBA players criticized his decision to not stay with Cleveland and continuing to try to win a championship as "the guy". Michael Jordan stated that he would not have contacted his rivals from other teams like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to play on one team together, as "I wanted to defeat those guys." Jordan added that "...things are different [now]. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today." Johnson echoed Jordan's sentiments on teaming with rivals.

On September 29, 2010, asked by Soledad O'Brien of CNN if race was a factor in the fallout from ''The Decision'', James said, "I think so, at times. There's always – you know, a race factor." James had previously stayed clear of racial issues. When the earlier controversy over his cover on ''Vogue'' became a national debate, James had no comment. Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com, said James suddenly bringing up race in this instance was "laughable." Jason Whitlock of Foxsports.com said James' usage of the race card was "an excuse to avoid dealing with his own bad (The) Decision." Adande, however, said James "didn't claim to be a victim of racial persecution" and "caused us to examine the bias that's always lurking".

Before a game against the Nets on October 31, his first game against one of his suitors, James reflected on his free agency: “If I had to go back on it, I probably would do it a little bit different,” James said. “But I’m happy with my decision.” He declined to be more specific.

Miami Heat (2010–present)

On July 9, James officially completed a sign-and-trade deal with the Miami Heat. On the same day, the Heat threw a welcome party and introduced James, Wade and Bosh to the 13,000 Heat fans at American Airlines Arena. The rock concert atmosphere featured the trio arriving to plumes of smoke with Bosh and Wade pointing to the crowd and James strutting around. Howard Beck of ''The New York Times'' described the national fan reaction to the party: "Everyone saw something: greatness, arrogance, self-indulgence, boldness, cowardice, pride, friendship, collusion, joy, cynicism, heroes, mercenaries."

On November 2, James had a game-high 12 assists in a 129–97 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. James was the primary ball handler for nearly the entire 33 minutes he played against the Wolves. He has been playing throughout the season the point guard role that Riley sold to him during free agency. "I don't want to be called a point guard, but I can't stop it," said James. Heat public relations announced that James's 12 assists was the highest in franchise history by a forward. On November 9 in a 116–114 loss to the Utah Jazz, James finished with 20 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds, his first triple-double with the Heat. It was his 29th career triple-double, the seventh that came in a loss. On December 2, the Heat played in Cleveland in James' first game back since departing as a free agent. The crowd directed derisive chants and signs at James, who was booed every time he touched the ball. With tight security, the crowd was rowdy but not violent and there was only one arrest and four ejections. James scored a then-season-high 38 points and Miami won in a 118–90 blowout as the hostile crowd was quieted before halftime. In a well publicized arrival after spurning the franchise, LeBron James had his second triple double of the season with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in a blowout victory. In the Heat's 104–100 victory over the Orlando Magic on February 3, 2011, James scored 23 points in the first quarter, breaking Alonzo Mourning's single-game franchise record of 21 first-quarter points (March 29, 1996). James finished the game with 51 points, a season high, along with 11 rebounds and eight assists.

On March 29, in James' second game at Cleveland as a member of the Heat, he skipped his pregame player introduction, saying that he was using the bathroom, and entered the arena during the Cleveland Cavaliers player introductions. The Heat lost to the Cavaliers 102–90 despite James' 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

James finished second in the league in scoring with 26.7 points per game and Dwyane Wade finished fourth (25.5 points per game). They combined to score 4,052 points this season, most by a duo in franchise history.

In the 2011 NBA Finals James finished with averages of 17.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 7.1 rebounds, although the Miami Heat were beaten in 6 games by the Dallas Mavericks, 4–2. Throughout the postseason James averaged 23.6 points, 5.8 assists, and 8.3 rebounds. James's 17.8 points per game (down 8.9 points from 26.7) in the Finals was the largest drop off in points from a regular season to an NBA Finals in NBA history.

International career

After his rookie season, James played on the 2004 U.S. Olympic basketball team in Athens, where the US men's team won the bronze medal. It was the first time a U.S. Olympic team with NBA players failed to win the gold medal. Limited to 14.6 minutes per game, James averaged just 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Along with Kobe Bryant, he was one of the first two players to be publicly named to the 2006–2008 U.S. preliminary roster in 2006 by Jerry Colangelo. James competed in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan and averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. The team finished with an 8–1 record, and was again awarded the bronze medal. James was named as one of three captains for the 2006 USA Men's World Championship team, alongside Carmelo Anthony and Wade.

After failing to win the 2006 World Championships, the team competed at the 2007 Tournament of Americas Olympic qualifiers to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. During the gold medal game against Argentina, James recorded 31 points, the most by an American in an Olympic qualifier, as the United States captured gold medal honors. He averaged 18.1 points (on tournament-high field-goal percentage (76%) and three-point percentage (62.2%), 4.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 22.2 minutes per game.

James, along with the rest of Team USA reclaimed the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, defeating Spain 118 to 107. He finished the gold medal game with 14 points along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists as the U.S. went unbeaten, winning their first gold medal since the 2000 Olympics. It was later reported that James' "immaturity and downright disrespectfulness" were a risk to his being included on the Beijing Olympic team as Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski and managing director Jerry Colangelo believed that Bryant joining the national team would allow the team to win the gold medal with or without James.

Player profile

As of the 2010–11 season, James has averaged 27.7 points, 7.0 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game for his career in the regular season, and has recorded 34 triple-doubles in his career, with 28 in the regular season and six in the postseason. In the 2005–06 season, he led the league in completed traditional three point plays. He regularly ranks among the league leaders in rebounds for the small forward position. James' skills have led to many comparisons to NBA legends Robertson, Johnson, and Jordan. James was not named to the NBA All-Defensive Team until the 2008–09 season, when he finished second in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.

In March 2011, the New York Times wrote that James "has not mastered a reliable midrange jumper ... has not developed a go-to move in the post" and his options in a half-court set at the end of games "often are a long jump shot or a mad dash to the rim."

James started a petition saying that no one should be allowed to wear the No. 23 in the NBA to honor Jordan. On March 1, 2010, James filed an application to the NBA to wear the No. 6 starting the 2010–11 season.

Off the court

Personal life

James was born on December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio, to a 16-year-old mother, Gloria. His biological father, Anthony McClelland, was an ex-convict who left Gloria. Gloria then had to raise LeBron by herself.

James has two children with his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson. The first, LeBron James Jr., was born on October 6, 2004, and the second, Bryce Maximus James, on June 14, 2007. They currently reside in Coconut Grove, a Miami suburb, where James bought a three-story mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay for $9 million on November 12, 2010.

Endorsements

James has endorsement contracts with Nike, Sprite, Glacéau, Bubblicious, Upper Deck, McDonald's and State Farm. With Nike, James has released six signature shoe styles, and four additional shoes (20–5–5, Soldier, Soldier 2, Ambassador). He has acted in a 2007 series of commercials called "The LeBrons", as well as had his likeness voiced by Kenan Thompson in a 2009 commercial series titled "MVPuppets". In December 2007, James was ranked at No.1 in the ''Forbes'' Top 20 Earners Under 25 with annual earnings of $27 million.

James and Ice Cube have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James' life. James will act as executive producer if the show is greenlighted. James appeared on the cover of the February 2009 edition of ''GQ'' magazine. He stars in the Lions Gate film, ''More Than a Game'' (2009).

Following an agreement with Fenway Sports Group to become the sole marketer of his rights globally, in return as part of the deal James and his manager Maverick Carter became minority stakeholders in English Premier League giants Liverpool F.C.

On April 10, 2011 James became the new global brand ambassador for luxury Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet. He will in addition collaborate to produce his own limited-edition watch, for which he will donate the proceeds from any future auctions of these timepieces to his charity, the LeBron James Family Foundation.

Public image

During the 2007 NBA Playoffs, James drew criticism when he declined to sign a petition started by his teammate, Ira Newble, regarding the Chinese government's alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan, stating that he did not know enough about the issue. A year later, James did talk publicly about the issue, saying, "At the end of the day we're talking about human rights. And people should understand that human rights and people's lives are in jeopardy. We're not talking about contracts here. We're not talking about money. We're talking about people's lives being lost and that means a lot more to me than some money or a contract."

James received criticism from Cleveland fans and critics for attending Cleveland Indians games against the New York Yankees dressed in a Yankees hat. James said, "As individuals I want every Indian to succeed. I love all these fans for coming out and supporting us. But team-wise I want the Yankees to win." Despite residing in Ohio for all of his childhood, James added that he grew up as a Yankees fan, a Dallas Cowboys fan and a Chicago Bulls fan. In January 2008, Nike released the Air Zoom V LeBron shoe, which featured a Yankees-type motif and was made available only in New York City.

In March 2008, James became the first black man to appear on the cover of ''Vogue'', posing with Gisele Bündchen. He was the third man to appear on the cover of ''Vogue'', after Richard Gere and George Clooney. Some sports bloggers and columnist considered the cover offensive, describing the demeanor of James and his holding Bündchen as a reference to classic imagery of the movie monster King Kong, a dark savage capturing his light-skinned love interest.

In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee to elect Barack Obama. On October 29, 2008, James gathered almost 20,000 people at the Quicken Loans Arena for a viewing of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's 30-minute ''American Stories, American Solutions'' television advertisement. It was shown on a large screen above the stage, where Jay-Z later held a free concert.

On July 6, 2009, James courted controversy when he ordered organizers to confiscate CBS video tape of him being dunked on by Xavier University guard Jordan Crawford at the Nike LeBron James Skills Academy.

On July 23 in an interview for his upcoming book "Shooting Stars", James admitted to smoking marijuana at one point during his high school career to help cope with all the stress resulting from constant media attention he was receiving at the time.

James, with comedian Jimmy Kimmel, co-hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. James himself was nominated for three ESPYs: Best Male Athlete, Best NBA Player (winner), and Best Record Breaking Performance. The performance for which he was nominated was when he scored 48 points in Game 5 of the 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, including 29 of the last 30 points and all of the team's 25 points in overtime. In other comedic pursuits, James hosted the 33rd season premiere of ''Saturday Night Live''. The show's creator Lorne Michaels praised him for his versatility.

In April 2010, Forbes ranked James as the second most influential athlete behind Lance Armstrong.

In September 2010, ''The Q Score Company'' ranked James as the sixth most disliked sports personality behind Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Kobe Bryant.

Salaries

{|class="wikitable sortable" |- !Season!!Team!!Salary |- |2003–04||Cleveland||$4,018,920 |- |2004–05||Cleveland||$4,320,360 |- |2005–06||Cleveland||$4,621,800 |- |2006–07||Cleveland||$5,828,090 |- |2007–08||Cleveland||$13,041,250 |- |2008–09||Cleveland||$14,410,581 |- |2009–10||Cleveland||$15,779,912 |- |2010–11||Miami||$14,500,000 |}

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |79||79||39.5||.417||.290||.754||5.5||5.9||1.6||.7||20.9 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |80||80||42.4||.472||.351||.750||7.4||7.2||2.2||.6||27.2 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |79||79||42.5||.480||.335||.738||7.0||6.6||1.6||.8||31.4 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |78||78||40.9||.476||.319||.698||6.7||6.0||1.6||.7||27.3 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |75||74||40.4||.484||.315||.712||7.9||7.2||1.8||1.1||30.0 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |81||81||37.7||.489||.344||.780||7.6||7.2||1.7||1.1||28.4 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |76||76||39.0||.503||.333||.767||7.3||8.6||1.6||1.0||29.7 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Miami |79||79||38.8||.510||.330||.759||7.5||7.0||1.6||.6||26.7 |-class="sortbottom" |style="text-align:left;"|Career |style="text-align:left;"| |627||626||40.1||.479||.329||.759||7.1||7.0||1.7||.8||27.7 |-class="sortbottom" |style="text-align:left;"|All-Star |style="text-align:left;"| |7||7||30.9||.511||.326||.760||7.1||6.0||1.6||.3||24.4 |}

Playoffs

|- |style="text-align:left;"|2006 |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |13||13||46.5||.476||.333||.737||8.1||5.8||1.4||.7||30.8 |- |style="text-align:left;"|2007 |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |20||20||44.7||.416||.280||.755||8.1||8.0||1.7||.5||25.1 |- |style="text-align:left;"|2008 |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |13||13||42.5||.411||.257||.731||7.8||7.6||1.8||1.3||28.2 |- |style="text-align:left;"|2009 |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |14||14||41.4||.510||.333||.749||9.1||7.3||1.6||.9||35.3 |- |style="text-align:left;"|2010 |style="text-align:left;"|Cleveland |11||11||41.8||.502||.400||.733||9.3||7.6||1.7||1.8||29.1 |- |style="text-align:left;"|2011 |style="text-align:left;"|Miami |21||21||43.9||.466||.353||.763||8.4||5.9||1.7||1.2||23.7 |-class="sortbottom" |style="text-align:left;"|Career |style="text-align:left;"| |92||92||43.6||.460||.323||.746||8.4||7.0||1.6||1.0||28.0 |}

Awards and honors

2× NBA Most Valuable Player: 2009, 2010

NBA Rookie of the Year: 2004

NBA Scoring Champion: 2008

2× NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2006, 2008

7× NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

7× All-NBA:

*First Team: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

*Second Team: 2005, 2007

3× NBA All-Defensive:

*First Team: 2009, 2010, 2011

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2004

'''Bronze medal with Team USA, 2004 Summer Olympic Games

'''Bronze medal with Team USA, 2006 FIBA World Championship

'''Gold medal with Team USA, 2007 FIBA Americas Championship

'''Gold medal with Team USA, 2008 Summer Olympic Games

See also

List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders

References

Further reading

External links

Official website

U.S. National Team Bio

LeBron James: NBA.com Draft Profile

"LeBron James", on ''TIME''s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"

LeBron James: Monster Dunks – slideshow by ''Life magazine''

LeBron James on ESPN Video Archive

LeBron James on FoxSports Video Archive

Category:1984 births Category:American basketball players Category:African American basketball players Category:Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Ohio Category:Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Category:Cleveland Cavaliers players Category:Miami Heat players Category:Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year Category:Living people Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:National Basketball Association high school draftees Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Akron, Ohio Category:Sportspeople from Cleveland, Ohio Category:Small forwards Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Liverpool F.C. chairmen and investors Category:Olympic medalists in basketball

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width	230px
position	Shooting guard / Point guard
number	3
height ft	6
height in	4
weight lb	220
nationality	American
high school	Harold L. Richards High School
birth date	January 17, 1982
birth place	Chicago, Illinois, United States
college	Marquette (2001-2003)
team	Miami Heat
draft round	1
draft pick	5
draft year	2003
draft team	Miami Heat
career start	2003
team1	Miami Heat |years1–present
highlights	NBA Champion (2006) NBA Finals MVP (2006) 7× NBA All-Star (2005–2011) NBA Scoring Champion () 2× All-NBA First Team (–) 3× All-NBA Second Team (–, ) All-NBA Third Team () 3× All-Defensive Second Team (, –) NBA All-Rookie First Team () NBA All-Star Game MVP (2010) 2× Skills Challenge Champion (–)
medaltemplates	}}

Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. (born January 17, 1982) nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by ''Sports Illustrated'', Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league. He had the top selling jersey in the NBA for nearly two years, as he led the NBA in jersey sales from the 2005 NBA playoffs, until the mid-point of the 2006–07 season.

After entering the league as the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade was named to the All-Rookie team and the All-Star team the following seven seasons. In his third season, Wade helped lead the Miami Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history. He was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP as he helped lead the Heat to a 4–2 series win over the Dallas Mavericks. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States Men's Basketball team, commonly known as the "Redeem Team", in scoring, as they captured gold medal honors in Beijing, China. In the 2008–09 season, Wade led the league in scoring and earned his first NBA scoring title.

Early life

Dwyane Wade was born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois to Dwyane Sr. and Jolinda Wade. He cites one of his older sisters, Tragil, as the individual most responsible for his childhood upbringing and for steering him in the proper direction. His parents divorced and he lived with his father and stepmother in Robbins, Illinois during his childhood. As a child growing up in the Chicago area Wade idolized former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan, and has said he patterns his game after him.

Wade attended Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn, playing for the school's varsity basketball team. While he did not acquire much playing time during his second year, his stepbrother, Demetris McDaniel, was the star of the team. Wade grew four inches in the summer before his junior year and saw an increase in playing time, averaging 20.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. The following year, Wade averaged 27.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while leading his team to a 24–5 record. It advanced to the title game of the Class AA Eisenhower Sectional. During this season he set school records for points (676) and steals (106) in a season. Wade was recruited by only three college basketball teams (Marquette University, Illinois State, and DePaul University) due to academic problems.

College career

Wade chose to play college basketball for Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During Wade's freshman year at Marquette, he was ineligible to play with the men's team due to a violation of the NCAA's Proposition 48. Wade sought tutoring to improve his writing skills in order to regain eligibility. When Wade became eligible to play the following year (2001–2002), he led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 17.8 ppg, led the conference in steals at 2.47 per game, and accumulated averages of 6.6 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game. Marquette finished with a 26–7 record, the school's best record since the 1993–94 season. In 2002–03, Wade led Marquette in scoring again with 21.5 ppg, and Marquette won the school's first and only Conference USA championship with a 27–6 record. That season Wade led the Golden Eagles to the Final Four, the school's first appearance in the Final Four since winning the 1977 national championship. After the season, he was named to the All-America First Team by the Associated Press; Wade is the first Marquette basketball player since 1978 to do so.

Wade's performance during the Midwest Regional Final of the 2003 NCAA Tournament was highly publicized by the national press. Against heavily favored, top-ranked and top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats, Wade recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. His triple double was the fourth in NCAA Tournament history. Wade's exceptional play helped lead Marquette over the Wildcats 83–69 and into the Final Four; Wade was named MVP of the Midwest Regional. Marquette finished the season ranked No.6 in the AP poll, the school's highest ranking since the 1976–77 season. Wade's strong tournament play resulted in increased visibility in the national media and, consequently, a high draft projection. As a result, he elected to forgo his senior year at Marquette and enter the 2003 NBA draft. On February 3, 2007, almost four years after Wade played in his final collegiate game, Marquette retired his jersey at halftime of a game against Providence. Although Marquette requires student-athletes to graduate prior to receiving jersey retirement honors, the University made a special exception for Wade based on his accomplishments since leaving Marquette.

NBA career

2003–04

Selected 5th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, Wade quickly emerged as a productive player on a youthful Miami Heat team and averaged 16.2 points on 46.5% shooting with averages of 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Wade is one of only four Marquette University players to be drafted in the first round; his is the highest draft selection in school history. After a 5–15 start, the Heat would gradually improve and finish 42–40 to qualify for the NBA playoffs. He further distinguished himself with outstanding performances in the playoffs, particularly against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. In the end, however, Wade's successful rookie season was somewhat overshadowed by the success of fellow rookies Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. Wade did earn unanimous selection to the 2004 NBA All-Rookie Team, and also finished third in rookie of the year voting (behind James and Anthony). He was ranked in the top five among rookies in several major statistical categories, including second in field goal percentage, second in steals, third in scoring, fourth in assists, and fourth in minutes played. In the playoffs Wade hit a game winning shot in Game 1 of the Heat's first round series against the New Orleans Hornets. The Heat won the series 4–3 and advanced to the second round to face the top-seeded and best record team in the NBA, the Indiana Pacers, in a very entertaining series that almost pushed the 61-win Pacers to the edge, though Miami would eventually lose the series in six games. He became the fourth rookie since the shot clock era began to lead his team in scoring and assist average in the postseason.

2004–05

Before the 2004–05 season Shaquille O'Neal was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Heat. The following season, Miami improved by 17 games, from a 42–40 record in the 2003–04 season to an Eastern Conference-best 59–23 record in the 2004–05 season. The league's coaches selected Wade to be a reserve in the 2005 All-Star Game. He scored 14 points in 24 minutes of play.

In the first round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs, Wade averaged 26.3 points, 8.8 assists, and 6.0 rebounds while maintaining a 50% field-goal percentage as the Heat swept the New Jersey Nets. Wade continued his high level of play in the second round by averaging 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists per game as the Heat swept the Washington Wizards. The Heat's playoff run was stopped by the Detroit Pistons, the previous season's champions, in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Wade scored 42 and 36 points in Games 2 and 3 respectively despite playing with sinusitis, the flu, and a knee strain. He also suffered a strained rib muscle in Game 5 of the Conference Finals that prevented him from playing in the series' sixth game and limited him in the seventh. The Heat lost the series in the seventh game despite leading three games to two after the fifth game and holding a lead with three minutes remaining in Game 7.

2005–06

By the 2005–06 season Wade had developed into one of the most prominent players in the NBA and was elected to his second All-Star Game. In the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, Wade made the game winning put-back off of the Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson's missed shot, to lead the East to a 122–120 victory over the West. He scored 20 points on 9/11 field goals in 30 minutes of play. He finished the 2005–06 regular season averaging 27.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.95 steals per game.

Against the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Wade shook off a few injuries that scared Heat fans, including a severely bruised hip in Game 5. Returning late in the half, Wade resurrected his team by scoring 15 of his 28 points while suffering from intense pain, leading the Heat to the much-needed 3–2 series lead. After this, Wade successfully led his team to the 2006 NBA Finals, despite suffering from flu-like symptoms in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. He put up a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists in that game, including an 8-point flurry to close out the third quarter that put the game out of reach.

2006 NBA Finals

In his first trip to the NBA Finals, in which Miami faced off against the Dallas Mavericks, Wade had some especially memorable moments. His performance in games three, four, and five, in which he scored 42, 36, and 43 points, respectively, helped bring the Heat back from a 0–2 deficit to lead the series at 3 games to 2. In Game 3 Wade tied his career playoff high with 42 points and grabbed a career high 13 rebounds. 15 of his 42 points came in the fourth quarter, in which the Heat erased a 13 point deficit over the final 6:29 with a 22–7 run which included a go-ahead jumper by NBA veteran Gary Payton that sealed the win. The Heat went on to win Game 6 behind Wade's 36 points, taking the series 4–2, and Wade was presented with the Finals MVP trophy. He became the fifth youngest player in NBA history to capture NBA Finals MVP honors and recorded the third highest scoring average by a player in his first NBA Finals with 34.7 points per game. His 33.8 PER in the NBA finals was ranked by ESPN's John Hollinger as the greatest Finals performance since the NBA-ABA merger.

2006–07

In the 2006–07 season, Wade missed a total of 31 games due to injury. He was elected to his third straight All-Star Game and received All-NBA honors. He became the first guard to earn All-NBA honors after missing at least 31 games in a season since Pete Maravich of the Utah Jazz earned Second Team honors during the 1977–78 season. Despite Wade's play, the Heat struggled early in the season with injuries and were 20–25 on February 1, 2007. But with Shaquille O'Neal healthy and Pat Riley returning to the bench after undergoing hip and knee surgeries, the Heat seemed poised to surge into the second half of the season. However, during a game against the Houston Rockets on February 21, 2007, while attempting to steal the ball from Shane Battier, Wade dislocated his left shoulder and was assisted off the court in a wheelchair. After the injury he was left with the decision to either rehabilitate the shoulder or undergo season-ending surgery. Wade later announced that he would put off the surgery and rehabilitate his shoulder with the intention of rejoining the team in time for the playoffs. After missing 23 games to recover from the injury, Wade returned to the active roster in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Sporting a black sleeve to help protect his dislocated left shoulder, Wade played 27 minutes and recorded 12 points and 8 assists, in a 111–103 overtime loss. For the season, Wade averaged 27.4 points, 7.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game shooting 50% from the field, and finished the season as the NBA's leader in PER (Player efficiency rating).

In the playoffs, Wade averaged 23.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game, as the Heat were swept in the first round by the Chicago Bulls. Following the playoffs, Wade underwent a pair of successful surgeries to repair his dislocated left shoulder and left knee. The knee ailment, commonly called "jumper's knee," prevented Wade from joining USA Basketball in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament over the summer.

2007–08

After missing the Tournament of Americas Olympic Qualifiers over the summer, Miami's eight pre-season games and first seven regular season games to recover from off-season left knee and left shoulder surgeries, Wade made his first appearance of the 2007–08 season on November 14, 2007. Battling pain in his left knee throughout the season, Wade was elected to his fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance. However, with the Heat holding the worst record in the NBA and Wade still experiencing problems in his left knee, Heat coach Pat Riley announced Wade would miss the final 21 games of the season to undergo OssaTron treatment on his left knee. Wade averaged 24.6 points, 6.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game for the season.

2008–09

After undergoing months of rehabilitation on his left knee and helping the U.S. Olympic team win a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics, in which he led the team in scoring, Wade returned to the starting lineup at the start of the 2008–09 season. Early in the season, Wade became the second player in NBA history to tally at least 40 points, 10 assists and five blocked shots in a game since Alvan Adams did so in the 1976–77 season. With a healthy Wade leading the league in scoring and the Heat making a push for a playoff position, Wade was elected to his fifth consecutive All-Star game appearance.

Following the All-Star game, Wade recorded 50 points on 56.6% shooting and added 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a blow-out loss against the Orlando Magic. Wade became the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 50 points while his team lost by at least 20 in a game. The following game, Wade recorded a career-high 16 assists and added 31 points and 7 rebounds in a 103–91 win against the Detroit Pistons. Wade became the second player to record 15 or more assists after scoring at least 50 points since Wilt Chamberlain did so in 1968. Two games later, Wade tied a franchise record with 24 points in the fourth quarter, as he led the Heat back from a 15 point deficit in the final nine minutes of the quarter to secure a 120–115 win over the New York Knicks. For the game, Wade recorded 46 points on 55% field goal shooting, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Wade followed the performance with a second-consecutive 40-point game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Playing against his Eastern Conference rival and good friend, LeBron James, Wade registered 41 points on 53% shooting, 9 assists, 7 steals, 7 rebounds and one block as the Heat lost 107–100. The following game, in former teammate Shaquille O'Neal's return to Miami since being traded, Wade tied a career-high with 16 assists and added 35 points on 62% shooting, 6 rebounds, a steal and a block, as the Heat defeated the Phoenix Suns 135–129. Wade became the only player in Heat history to have multiple games with at least 30 points and 15 assists. Less than a week later, Wade tied his franchise record with his 78th consecutive game of scoring in double figures in a double overtime thriller against the Chicago Bulls, in which he scored the game-winning three-point basket to secure a 130–127 win. Wade finished with 48 points on 71.4% shooting, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks in 50 minutes. Wade joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player in NBA history to score that many points and have that many assists in a game, while having as high of a field goal percentage. Two games later, Wade surpassed Alonzo Mourning and became the Heat's all-time leading scorer in a triple overtime classic against the Utah Jazz. Wade finished with 50 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks in a 140–129 win.

During the season, Wade became the first player in NBA history to accumulate at least 2,000 points, 500 assists, 100 steals, and 100 blocks in a season and is the first player of 6 ft. 5 in. or shorter to register at least 100 blocks in a season. Wade also became just the fifth player in NBA History to reach 2,000 points, 500 assists, and 150 steals in a season. After a 97–92 win against the Charlotte Bobcats, Wade helped the Heat clinch a playoff berth and become only the second team in NBA History to reach the postseason after winning 15 or fewer games the year before. In a 122–105 win against the New York Knicks, Wade recorded a career high 55 points on 63% field goal shooting and added 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Wade recorded 50 points through three quarters and was pulled out of the game while he was one point shy of eclipsing the franchise record of 56 points set by Glen Rice. For the season, Wade averaged a league high 30.2 points per game, earning his first NBA Scoring Title, and added 7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. Wade finished the season with higher point, assist, steal and block averages than LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who both finished ahead of Wade in the MVP race.

2009–10

On November 1, in just his third game of the season Wade recorded his 10,000th career point in a 95–87 win against the Chicago Bulls. On November 12 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade made a spectacular dunk over Anderson Varejão, considered by many to be one of the greatest of the season until then. LeBron James himself described the dunk as "great, probably top 10 all-time". Two days later against the New Jersey Nets, with the Heat down by two in the final seconds, Wade hit a clutch three-point shot, giving the Heat the win by one point, 81–80. On January 6, Wade scored a season-high 44 points in an overtime loss against the Boston Celtics, the most points scored by a player in a losing effort in the season until that point. On January 21, Wade was selected to play for the East in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, which was his sixth overall All-Star appearance. Wade was named the game's MVP after recording 28 points, 11 assists, 5 steals and 6 rebounds.

In just his second game back from the All-Star Game on February 17, Wade strained his calf in the first quarter. He left the game with 8 points in 8 minutes of play, ending his personal and also Heat's franchise record streak of 148 consecutive games with at least 10 points. On April 2, Wade was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month and Player of the Week twice for his play in the month of March, leading the Heat to a 12–3, the team's best record since March 2006. It was his first Player of the Month award of the season and 5th of his career. He averaged 26.9 and 7.5 assists per game, which both ranked third in the Eastern Conference, and 2.3 steals per game, which ranked first. Wade recorded six 30 points games and had six double-doubles in the month, including a season-high 14 assists in an overtime win against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 4.

For the season, Wade averaged 26.6 points on 47.6% field goal shooting, 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, while leading his team to a 47–35 record, clinching the fifth seed in the NBA Playoffs. In the first round, with the Heat facing a sweep against the Boston Celtics, Wade recorded a career playoff-high and also franchise record 46 points, outscoring the entire Celtics team in the 4th quarter with 19 points versus 15 by Boston. It was also Wade's sixth career playoff game with at least 40 points scored. Despite averaging 33.2 points on 56.4% shooting, 6.8 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks, Wade and the Heat would lose to Boston in five games.

2010–11

On July 7, it was announced that Wade would be re-signing with the Miami Heat, along with former Toronto Raptor, Chris Bosh. The following day, LeBron James announced he would be joining the Heat to play with Wade and Bosh. Wade, Bosh and James signed their contracts on July 9.

United States national team

Wade was a member of the 2004 US Olympics team with fellow NBA All-Stars LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. The team competed in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, in which Wade averaged 19.3 points per game. The team won a bronze medal, which disappointed many USA fans who had hoped for a return to the days of the original "Dream Team". Wade was named to the USA Men's Basketball National Team from 2006 to 2008. He was named co-captain of the 2006 team, along with James and Anthony. In 2007, due to injury, Wade was unable to compete at the Tournament of Americas Olympic Qualifiers, where the United States compiled a 10–0 record and qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

At the 2008 Olympics, the United States went unbeaten and earned gold medal honors, defeating the 2006 World Champion Spain in the final game. Wade led the team in scoring throughout the tournament and tallied a game high 27 points in 27 minutes on 75% field goal shooting and added 4 steals, 2 assists and 2 rebounds in the game. For the tournament, he averaged a team high 16 points in 18 minutes on 67% field goal shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.3 steals, as the United States lived up to their Redeem Team moniker and captured gold medal honors for the first time since 2000.

Player profile

Wade plays the shooting guard position, but is also capable of playing point guard. On offense, he has established himself as one of the quickest and most difficult players to guard in the NBA. Wade's signature one-two step allows him to dash past bigger defenders and occasionally get the extra foul shot. Wade is able to get to the free throw line consistently; he ranked first in free-throw attempts per 48 minutes in 2004–05 and again in the 2006–07 season. He has proven himself an unselfish player, averaging 6.3 assists per game throughout his career. After winning the NBA Finals MVP Award in 2006, Wade developed a reputation as one of the premier clutch players in the NBA.

David Thorpe, an athletic trainer who runs a training center for NBA players in the offseason, also cites Wade's developing post up game as one of his strengths. "Watching Wade operate on the left block is literally like watching old footage of MJ (Michael Jordan)," comments Thorpe. Thorpe goes on to say that Wade's best moves from the post are his turnaround jump shot, double pivot, and what Thorpe terms as a "freeze fake", a pump fake Wade uses to get his opponent to jump, so that he can then drive around him to the basket. The main weakness cited in Wade's ability is his lack of three-point range; he has averaged .292 on three-point field goal attempts for his career.

Wade is best known for his ability to convert difficult lay-ups, even after hard mid-air collisions with larger defenders. As crowd pleasing as his high-flying style of basketball may be, some have expressed concerns over the dangers of playing in this manner, as Wade has already hurt his knees and wrists after mid-air collisions with larger players. Wade has also established himself on defense for his ability to block shots and accumulate steals.

Salaries

Season !! Team !! Salary
2003–04 NBA season	2003–04	Miami Heat>Miami	$2,636,400
2004–05 NBA season	2004–05	Miami
2005–06 NBA season	2005–06	Miami
2006–07 NBA season	2006–07	Miami
2007–08 NBA season	2007–08	Miami
2008–09 NBA season	2008–09	Miami
2009–10 NBA season	2009–10	Miami
2010–11 NBA season	2010–11	Miami

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 61 || 56 || 34.9 || .465 || .302 || .747 || 4.0 || 4.5 || 1.4 || .6 || 16.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 77 || 77 || 38.6 || .478 || .289 || .762 || 5.2 || 6.8 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 24.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 75 || 75 || 38.6 || .495 || .171 || .783 || 5.7 || 6.7 || 2.0 || .8 || 27.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 51 || 50 || 37.9 || .491 || .266 || .807 || 4.7 || 7.5 || 2.1 || 1.2 || 27.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 51 || 49 || 38.3 || .469 || .286 || .758 || 4.2 || 6.9 || 1.7 || .7 || 24.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 79 || 79 || 38.6 || .491 || .317 || .765 || 5.0 || 7.5 || 2.2 || 1.3 || 30.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 77|| 77 || 36.3 || .476 || .300 || .761 || 4.8 || 6.5 || 1.8 || 1.1 || 26.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 76|| 76 || 37.1 || .500 || .306 || .758 || 6.4 || 4.6 || 1.5 || 1.1 || 25.5 |- class="unsortable" | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 547 || 539 || 37.6 || .485 || .292 || .769 || 5.1 || 6.3 || 1.8 || 1.0 || 25.4 |- class="unsortable" | style="text-align:left;"| All-Star | style="text-align:left;"| | 7 || 6 || 25.4 || .593 || .200 || .667 || 3.3 || 4.0 || 2.7 || .4 || 16.9

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 13 || 13 || 39.2 || .455 || .375 || .787 || 4.0 || 5.6 || 1.3 || .3 || 18.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 14 || 14 || 40.8 || .484 || .100 || .799 || 5.7 || 6.6 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 27.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 23 || 23 || 41.7 || .497 || .378 || .808 || 5.9 || 5.7 || 2.2 || 1.1 || 28.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 4 || 4 || 40.5 || .429 || .000 || .688 || 4.8 || 6.3 || 1.2 || .5 || 23.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 7 || 7 || 40.7 || .439 || .360 || .862 || 5.0 || 5.3 || .9 || 1.6 || 29.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 5 || 5 || 42.0 || .564 || .405 || .675 || 5.6 || 6.8 || 1.6 || 1.6 || 33.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 21 || 21 || 39.4 || .485 || .269 || .777 || 7.1 || 4.4 || 1.6 || 1.3 || 24.5 |- class="unsortable" | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 87 || 87 || 40.5 || .483 || .327 || .789 || 5.7 || 5.6 || 1.6 || 1.1 || 25.9

Awards and honors

NBA Champion: 2006

NBA Finals MVP: 2006

NBA Scoring Title: 2009

NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2010

7× NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

6× All-NBA:

:* First Team: 2009, 2010 :* Second Team: 2005, 2006, 2011 :* Third Team: 2007

3× All-Defense:

:* Second Team: 2005, 2009, 2010

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2004

NBA All-Star Skills Challenge Champion: 2006, 2007

Gold medal with Team USA: 2008 Summer Olympic Games

Bronze medal with Team USA: 2004 Summer Olympic Games

Bronze medal with Team USA: 2006 FIBA World Championship

Miami Heat All-time Leading Scorer

Miami Heat All-time Assists Leader

2005 ''Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award''

2006 ''Best NBA Player ESPY Award''

2006 ''Sports Illustrated'' Sportsman of the Year

Off the court

Wade married his high school girlfriend Siohvaughn Funches but filed for a divorce in 2007. He has two sons, Zaire Blessing Dwyane Wade (born February 4, 2002) and Zion Malachi Airamis Wade (born May 29, 2007). Wade's nicknames include D-Wade and Flash, which was given to him by former teammate Shaquille O'Neal who would sing, "He's the greatest in the Universe," in reference to the Queen song of the same name from the 1980 film ''Flash Gordon''. The Heat's 2005 NBA Playoff run and Wade's performances with Shaquille O'Neal hampered by injury, led to an explosion of media attention and rapid increase in Wade's popularity. During those playoffs, Wade's jersey became the top selling jersey in the league and remained so for nearly two years. After the Heat's success and Wade's memorable performances during the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Wade was further elevated into the public's eye and appeared on several talk shows, including ''Late Show with David Letterman'' and ''Live with Regis and Kelly''.

Wade has been featured in a number of magazine articles and publications. In 2005, he was featured on People's 50 Most Beautiful People, and in 2006 he was named the NBA's best dressed player by GQ Magazine. In 2007, Esquire named him to their 4th annual Best Dressed Men in the World list for the second straight year. Wade has endorsement deals with companies such as Gatorade, Lincoln, Staples, Sean John, T-Mobile (his TV commercials feature him paired with NBA legend Charles Barkley), and Topps. He had his own line of shoes with Converse named "The Wade" and a series of Sidekick phones known as the D-Wade Edition with T-Mobile. During the 2009–10 season, Wade switched from Converse to Nike's Jordan Brand. Wade noted that the partnership ended on good terms, stating, "When I came into the NBA, I didn't have a lot of exposure and Converse gave me an opportunity to head a brand and be the face of a brand. I'm really thankful for six long, good years. I've gotten five shoes out of the deal and my dream came true at the Converse brand, because they put my name on a pair of sneakers." Wade was hand-chosen by Michael Jordan and debuted the Air Jordan 2010 during the 2010 NBA All-Star break. During the 2011 NBA Playoffs, Wade debuted his first signature shoe for the Jordan Brand, joining fellow players Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, who have their own signature shoes for the brand.

Philanthropy

Wade is well known for his philanthropic involvement in various organizations. In 2003, he founded The Wade's World Foundation, which provides support to community-based organizations that promote education, health, and social skills for children in at-risk situations. He hosts a variety of community outreach programs in Chicago and South Florida. In 2008, he announced his partnership with former teammate Alonzo Mourning's charitable foundation and co-hosted ZO's Summer Groove, an annual summer event. On December 24, 2008, Wade purchased a new home for a South Florida woman whose nephew accidentally burned down the family home. In addition, Wade donated some furnishings, clothing, and gifts to the family for the holiday.

After breaking his own Miami Heat single-season scoring record, Wade gave the jersey he wore in that night's victory to 8-year-old Michael Stolzenberg, an avid Heat fan that had his hands and feet removed surgically due to a bacterial infection. Wade stated that he knew Stolzenberg previously and wished to add to his collection of Heat memorabilia. Wade has been known for visiting other sick children, usually in private to avoid placing himself in the media spotlight.

In September 2009, Wade donated money from his foundation to keep the Robbins, Illinois public library from having to shut down. He handed the library director Priscilla Coatney a $25,000 check in order to resurrect the building, which brought Coatney to tears. He called the donation a "small contribution", and reminisced about the difficult experiences he faced as a child, stating that he sometimes did not know how he would find his next meal. In January 2010, Wade co-founded the Haitian earthquake relief fund with former teammate Alonzo Mourning. The fund seeks to raise money to help the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In the three days since the fund began soliciting donations from athletes, Wade announced that the "Athletes Relief Fund for Haiti" had already raised over $800,000. Wade stated, "I expected nothing less from my friends and colleagues in the sports community, our commitment to this cause knows no bounds, and we will continue to accept any and all donations throughout the days ahead."

Religion

Wade is a devout Christian and chose the number 3 because it represents the Holy Trinity. He tithes 10% of his salary to a church in Chicago.

His mother, Jolinda, strengthened her ties with Christianity in 2001 after years of drug abuse and dealing. She served as a minister during her final prison sentence in 2002 and 2003. She was ordained as a Baptist minister in January 2007, and formed the non-denominational Temple of Praise Binding and Loosing Ministry in Chicago. In May 2008, Wade purchased a church building for his mother's ministry.

See also

2002–03 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team

List of all-time Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball leaders

List of National Basketball Association season scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders

List of Olympic medalists in basketball

List of 2010–11 NBA season transactions

References

External links

NBA.com profile

Marquette University Men's Basketball team biography

US Olympic Team bio

2003 NBA Draft profile

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American basketball players Category:American Christians Category:Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Illinois Category:Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball players Category:Miami Heat draft picks Category:Miami Heat players Category:NBA Finals MVP Award winners Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Sportspeople from Chicago, Illinois Category:Shooting guards Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:Olympic medalists in basketball

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