There’s no doubt Dwyane Wade’s career has had a tremendous impact on young people around the country. However, one story in particular touched the Miami Heat star to deeply, he nearly broke down in tears.
During a recent interview with Univision, parents of one of the victims killed during the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High revealed their son was buried in Wade’s No. 3 Heat jersey. When the Heat guard learned that 17-year-old Joaquin Oliver, who moved to Florida from Venezuela when he was 3, was laid to rest with his number, he admitted he became very emotional.
“You really can’t put that in words,” Wade told reporters after practice Monday about Oliver. “You hurt for the family and if you’re able to get an opportunity to speak to them, you just try to hope that the time where he was alive, that you were able to bring some form of joy to his life and something memorable, a story that you guys can talk about.
“I don’t even know the word for it. Like I retweeted on Twitter, I said, ‘You’re going to make me cry.’ It’s emotional even thinking about that, that his parents felt that burying him in my jersey is something that he wanted. I take a lot of pride in what I’ve done in this state and what I’ve meant for the youth, so I appreciate that.”
Wade was traded back to Miami at the NBA trade deadline Feb. 8 after starting the year with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
(Photo: Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
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