It's been 10 years since Dwyane Wade chalked up a triple-double wearing a Marquette jersey, but you'll still catch his face during this year's March Madness games.
Wade -- a nine-time NBA All-Star who's playing some of the best basketball of his life with the Miami Heat this season -- stars in the new Dove Men+Care campaign with his two sons and his nephew. Here, the guard talks about having a semi-normal life with his kids, picking a suit fit to meet President Obama in, and the real story behind that Harlem Shake video.
Men's Health: On a Twitter profile, you've got to define yourself in 160 characters or less. The first thing you list is being from Robbins, Illinois. Why is that so important?
Dwyane Wade: I grew up in the inner city of Chicago, and then I moved to Robbins, and it kind of raised me. When I was in college, I actually had them change the starting lineup to say "from Robbins, Illinois" instead of "Chicago, Illinois." It's important for me for young kids in Robbins to see me and know that they can do something in life -- anything they want to do.
MH: Next up in the Twitter bio: "A Father First." Are you and the kids able to hang out like a normal family?
Wade: When we have our opportunities and our moments, we do regular things, whether it’s playing basketball in the front yard, going for a drive, going out to eat, or watching a movie late at night when they’re supposed to be in bed. We're boys. We're men. We have our rascal moments and our playful moments.
MH: As a two-time NBA champ, are there any times when your career gets in the way of being a dad?
Wade: It's challenging at times. And my kids are still learning that there are some fun places and things that they want to do with Daddy, that he can't do.
MH: But most kids' dads can't dunk like you. Have the basketball genes been passed on?
Wade: Basketball is the sport of choice for my oldest son, Zaire, and my nephew, Dahveon, right now. My youngest son, Zion ... I don't know what his sport is yet. He's kind of the brains in the family. [Zion yells from the background] Soccer? He says soccer.
MH: The new Dove Men+Care commercials that will air during March Madness focus on you and your kids. Is that what drove you to get involved?
Wade: Obviously, I’m a big fan of March Madness and had my own moments at Marquette that weren’t that bad. And I also knew the campaign was going to be focusing on real moments. Coming off of my book this summer, A Father First, I really wanted to deal with what’s real in my life, and that’s my love and affection for my family and for my kids. I can’t wait for people to see the spot. It’s kind of what we do normally when we have time together.
MH: Aside from being a well-groomed guy, you're a style trendsetter. And you have your own sneaker coming out later this year. What's your favorite shoe of all time?
Wade: The patent-leather Jordan, the 11. It changed the game of gym shoes, and it brought fashion into shoes. I think it’s still that way today. Those shoes kind of changed a lot of people’s perspective on basketball sneakers.
MH: The fashion sneaker is pretty much your thing. You even wore a pair to meet President Obama back in January -- with a suit, no less. How’d you choose that outfit?
Wade: That was my second time going to the White House for winning a championship, so I looked at what I wore the first time. I kept it simple: I wore a black suit with a black tie and a gray shirt. This time I wanted to keep it simple again, so I went with the gray suit. And then it was all about the sneakers. They gave it a little something different.
MH: And did Obama notice them?
Wade: He did. He made a comment on them when he was up there talking. It was cool. It was cool for the President to notice my shoes.
MH: Speaking of wild outfits, your Harlem Shake video with the Heat has over 40 million views. What's the story?
Wade: LeBron [James] and I, as leaders of the team, took it to the guys and said, "Hey, this is something we're thinking about doing. Are you guys in?" And they were in for it.
MH: And then you dressed as a horse-astronaut.
Wade: My stylist went out to a few stores to get some costumes and certain guys brought things in. We committed to it. It was about showing everybody, "Don't take yourself too seriously. Enjoy life. Have fun with certain things." And that's what we were able to do.
MH: That fun has paid off. Now, you're on a 20-game winning streak. What's it like dealing with all the hype that surrounds a streak like this?
Wade: I've been through winning streaks. I’ve been through losing streaks. I just kind of understand that it’s all great. The winning streak that we’re on now will be talked about one day as part of the history of the game. But somebody else will go on a winning streak like this. For us, we have a bigger goal in mind. It’s not to go on a winning streak in the regular season. It’s to compete and win a championship. So right now we’re in the process of fulfilling that.
