Entertainment: Why I Like Dwyane Wade.

I remember the first time I ever played basketball competitively. I was 12 years old (7th grade) for a small Christian school in northern New England. I loved it. From the smell of the gym, to the sound of a bouncing ball and the feel of the leather on my finger tips I have been hooked. Growing up I was big fan of players such as Karl Malone and Larry Bird. Guys that worked harder than the other guys around them, I guess you could call them over achievers. Well, since the early and middle '90's I have been unsatisfied with the state of the game of basketball. Over the past three seasons though, my outlook of the game is more positive, and I actually watch games on a regular basis. All of this thanks to a guy named Dwyane Wade . I cant get enough of this guy. I believe he has been a part of a revitalization of the NBA (along with the likes of LeBron, 'Mello, Dirk and Nash). Please, let me explain why.......

He's not ghetto - D Wade is not of the Allen Iverson mold, if you know what I mean. He doesn't have 30 tattoos and have the rap sheet of a Tony Montana. D Wade is just a good guy from Chicago. If you have ever heard him in an interview he can actually be understood by all who know the English language. It's very refreshing to see a guy on the court that isn't trying to make a statement with "his style" by his appearance, but with "his style" on the court.

He's got style - Flash (his nickname) may not care much about his appearance style but boy does he have game style! He very well may be the player that exerts the most hustle per game in all of the NBA. Its so fun watching him slash and dash all over the floor. Its guaranteed that he will have at least one play on the Sportscenter top ten every night he plays. His hustle has even made him some endorsement cash, in the form of a marketing strategy by Converse (now owned by Nike). There were several commercials running that showed Flash getting up after he's been knocked down or throwing himself on the floor for a loose ball. Good stuff.

He's a good guy - Flash is a notorious "good guy" in the NBA. He married his elementary school sweetheart and has a son. He is very close to his family and is a self proclaimed born again Christian. To give you an idea of his impeccable reputation here is a quote from the NBA.com website:

"Heat guard Dwyane Wade gives 10 percent of his income to his church in Chicago, helped the Heat give away more than $3,000 in free books, has visited hospitals and is very active in reading programs. He also hand-delivered Christmas trees to families, and hosts 20 underprivileged children at every home game."

He's got game - Lastly, Flash has got serious game. He is among the leaders in the NBA in scoring (27.3 PPG), in assists (6.8 APG), steals (1.8 SPG) and can haul down some rebounds (5.8 RPG). He's one of those multi-dimensional players that all teams desires to have. When it comes to crunch time you want the ball in his hands, because you know there is a chance that he will put you on his broad shoulders and win the game.