Chicago Court awards Dwyane Wade sole custody of his kids: NBA Special
A Chicago judge has awarded Miami Heat’s prolific shooting guard Dwyane Wade, the temporary custody of his two boys, Zaire and Zion, following a year-long custody battle with his estranged ex-wife Siohvaughn Wade. The pair officially got divorced last June,
after prolonged separation travail.
The NBA star and Finals MVP testified that his wife Siohvaughn’s behaviour towards him had been violent and denied accusations that he had physically abused the boys. Consequently, Wade was awarded sole “care, custody and control” of his kids. According
to the attorney for the NBA star, James Pritikin, it was one of the longest ever trials in Cook County’s history.
Talking to the media after the judgement came in his favour, Wade said, “My life changed in a huge way. Mentally, I’ve been preparing for it for over a year now. To me, it’s bigger than that. For me, it shows a lot of people that you need to fight to be
in your kids’ lives sometimes. You fight until you can’t fight any more. That’s all I was trying to be, a father in his kids’ lives.”
Wade was happy that the fight was over, and it sure showed in the way he played against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. He had a break-out performance and erupted with 28 points, nine assists, five rebounds and five blocks. It might have been a coincidence,
but the sheer timing of it would say otherwise.
“I heard the best news I could possibly hear,” Wade said. “So I was like, ‘I’m going to go out there and play free and enjoy it.”
He received cheers when Wade informed his teammates about the ruling, in the locker-room after Saturday’s victory against the Memphis Grizzlies
Wade and his ex-wife Siohvaughn separated back in August 2007. The divorce was slowed considerably by his ex-wife, as she kept changing attorneys. Wade had also sued Siohvaughn for defamation. The court ruled that the best home for the kids would be with
Mr. Wade and that he will continue to be a phenomenal parent in the future.
Wade meanwhile, has repeatedly expressed his wish for the sons to be in contact with their mother and have a healthy relationship with her. The judge granted the kids' mother ‘regular parenting time’, meaning she could visit Zaire and Zion on alternating
weekends, in addition to several other times during the year.
Judge Renee G. Goldfarb’s 102 page ruling said that Siohvaughn Wade had been trying to alienate the children and deliberately hindered the visitation rights that Wade possessed. She also tried to ruin the close relation between Wade and his sons.
Wade said he was excited to finally have his sons with him in Miami and looked forward to them growing up with him.
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