Judge Rules in Wade Divorce, Marriage of 8 Years Ends in Chicago Court

By Alicia Cruz

The Black Urban Times

"Mrs. Wade has committed her final flagrant foul," Dwayne Wade's attorney, James Pritkin said.

"Her game is over."

This morning, a Cook County Judge Marya Nega finalized the divorce of Miami Heat superstar and his wife, Siohvaughn.

In the brief hearing, Nega ruled that Wade had proven irreconcilable differences with his wife of eight years and dissolved the marriage. The couple, who filed for legal separation in August 2007, have known one another since high school.

Custody of the couple's two sons and division of marital assets have yet to be decided and Nega added that all previous court orders, including one granting Wade "physical possession" of his sons, will remain in place until further proceedings take place.

Her attorney vowed to appeal.

Wade and Funches (Siohvaughn's maiden name)endured a contentious separation marred by allegations of abuse, lawsuits, infidelity and a sexually transmitted disease.

Funches reportedly sued Wade's alleged girlfriend, actress Gabrielle Union for alienation of affection claiming the actress "engaged in sexual foreplay with Dwyane Wade" in front of her small sons, ages 2 and 8, while on an unsupervised visitation to the basketball star's Miami home.


Siohvaughn's lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, went on to say that her oldest son was left unsupervised in and around the pool at night at Wade's home, that her youngest son nearly drowned due to negligent behavior on Wade's part and alleged that Union drove her sons to a park and allowed the oldest boy to ride in the vehicle's front seat.

Siohvaughn stated that her eldest son, who is receiving court-mandated mental evaluations at the University of Chicago, has developed nervous habits, experiences headaches and is generally anxious to the point of "significant" hair loss, causing bald spots.

"I feel relieved," Wade told the Chicago Tribune as he left the courtroom Friday.

"It's been a long, long process and to finally get this part behind us, I feel great, even though we still have more to get done," said the Oak Lawn Richards High School graduate.

Funches, who did not attend the morning hearing, is set to sign paperwork, her attorney, Michael Kalcheim said and vowed to appeal Nega's decision saying the judge was wrong to dissolve a marriage before all custody and financial issues had been resolved.

The 28-year-old Chicago native is expected to become a free agent next week and could command well over $100 million from NBA teams wanting to sign him.

Jordan Taps Wade to Wear 25th Anniversary Shoe

By The Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade (FSY) pleaded for years to join the Jordan Brand family, wanting to wear the shoe his idol made famous. His persistence is being rewarded. When Jordan Brand makes its long-awaited release of the Air Jordan 2010 in February to commemorate the popular line's 25th anniversary, Wade will debut the shoe.


Hand-picked for the role by Michael Jordan himself, the Miami Heat guard called it "a huge honor." "I was in awe, because I know what it means to not only be a part of Jordan Brand but really represent Michael on the court in the shoe he would wear," Wade told The Associated Press. "Very excited, to say the least."

The shoe will be launched nationwide Feb. 13 and will carry a retail price of $170. That coincides with All-Star weekend near Dallas and is four days before Jordan's 47th birthday. It's unknown if Wade will wear the shoe beforehand, say in Miami's marquee Christmas Day game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.
"Sometimes you have to pass the torch.

He epitomizes what the brand represents," Jordan said Wednesday night, when the arrangement was formally announced. "Being a player from our home community of Chicago, he has won championships already, his work ethic ... those is are all things that I feel like represent the brand. I think we can build a great relationship."


Wade's game has often been compared to Jordan's, even though the Heat guard is two inches shorter than the six-time champion — something Jordan pointed out Wednesday, when he stood back-to-back with Wade.
"He thinks he can beat me; I know I can beat him," Jordan said, smiling. "The only way to find out is to put these shoes on and go out and play. He's wearing my shoe. I'm not wearing Dwyane Wade's shoe." Jordan said that consumers have pushed him "to take the next Air Jordan beyond their wildest imagination." This was beyond Wade's imagination, anyway.

He spent six years wearing Converse apparel, then made the switch to Jordan Brand in July. (Both are owned by Nike.) Details of his contract with Jordan Brand were not disclosed, although it was certain to at least match the remaining three years at $6 million annually left on his Converse deal. Jordan Brand spokeswoman Terri Hines said Wade is the first pitchman for the Air Jordan other than Jordan himself.

It's the latest notch in Wade's business world: He also has strong deals with T-Mobile and Gatorade. "One thing I understood coming over to the brand, it's a team," Wade said. "I'm fortunate enough to be able to be in a spot with guys like Chris Paul (FSY), Carmelo Anthony (FSY), Derek Jeter, all those guys. We all have a role to play. And I'm going to play the role that they signed me up for and hopefully I do the best I can."

The shoes displayed Wednesday night were are black and white with red trim and circular windows on both sides, with Jordan calling them "trendy," "stylish" and "high-performance." This arrangement had been kept under wraps for months. Wade told only few people, including teammate Quentin Richardson (FSY), who like Wade is a Chicago native who grew up idolizing Jordan's play with the Bulls.

Richardson has worn the Jumpman line throughout his NBA career. "I think it meant the world to him, truthfully," Richardson said. "Us being from Chicago, I don't think people understand. ... We adored M.J. We watched every move he made. I think for us guys, it made a big difference. And even before he came over to Jordan, Dwyane would wear it. He'd come over to my house and get stuff all the time."


Aligning himself even closer to Jordan is as big a perk as being able to wear the Air Jordans, Wade said. "Before this, our relationship was kind of on the basis of seeing him and still being in awe of the person I grew up watching," Wade said. "Now I can e-mail, call him, all these lines of communication. So I think it's kind of cool. He responds back to me a lot quicker now than he used to."

Fifth-Grade Journalist Lands College Scholarship

Pint-sized journalist Damon Weaver may soon be a part of the Washington press. The cub reporter has been offered a full ride college scholarship.


The pint-sized political reporter from South Florida who has interviewed Vice President Joe Biden and Caroline Kennedy has landed a full scholarship to a Georgia University.

Little Damon Weaver from Pahokee has gained national attention for his reporting exploits and now this junior journalist is getting a free ride to Albany State University.
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NBA MVP run is a two man race?

Who will be the NBA MVP this year?

The race for the NBA MVP has came down to a race between two men, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade. Dwayne Wade leads the NBA in scoring with 29.9 points per game, while Lebron is in second with 28.5. Lebron has the better all around game with 7.5 rebounds a game and 7.2 assists compared to Wades 5.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists. They both are carrying their teams on their backs. The Heat have a 36-30 record after winning 22 games all last season and the Cavaliers have a 53-13 record. We could make the argument to which player means the most to their team but that would be a fight that each could make. Wade has helped Miami surpass their win total from all of last season and the Cavaliers would never be in the NBA elite, the best record in the Eastern Conference. Lebron has a little more help than Dwayne Wade so he gets a leg up in that category. In the end, the award should go to the most valuable player to a persons team, and that person is Dwayne Wade.