Dean Jackson Wade (born November 20, 1996) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Kansas State Wildcats The Kansas State Wildcats (variously "Kansas State", "K-State", or "KSU") are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Kansas State University. The School colors, official color of the teams is Royal Purple; white and silver are gener ...

Early life

Wade was born in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

, to Jay and Trish Wade. He lived in Inman, Kansas, briefly before moving to St. John at a young age. His mother is a track and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

coach at St. John High School in St. John, Kansas, where she led the volleyball team to three state championships. His father was briefly a member of the

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

High school career

Wade played four years of varsity basketball at St. John High School in St. John, Kansas, earning All-State honors for multiple seasons and winning three state championships. As a senior, he was named ''Parade'' All-American, along with 29 other players in his class. He was also selected as Mr. Kansas Basketball by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association (KBCA).

College career

Wade was named to the

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...

All-Newcomer Team at the conclusion of his freshman season at

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public inst ...

. As a sophomore, he averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. After a breakout junior season, Wade earned first-team All-Big 12 accolades. Wade averaged 16.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as a junior. As a senior, Wade averaged 12.9 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game and was named to the first-team All-Big 12. His season was cut short by a foot injury.

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2019–present)

2019–20 season

On July 9, 2019, Wade signed a two-way contract with the

after going undrafted in the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible p ...

. On November 18, Wade made his NBA debut against the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

, he went scoreless but logged one steal in eight minutes of action. Wade only played 12 games with the Cavaliers during his rookie season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in six minutes of play. He spent most of the season with the Cavaliers' G League affiliate, the Canton Charge. In the G League, Wade started in 29 of 30 games, averaging 14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 blocks in 31.1 minutes while shooting 46.1% from the field and 39.9% from 3-point range.

2020–21 season

On July 2, 2020, Wade signed a multi-year deal with the Cavaliers. On February 23, 2021, Wade made his first NBA career start, logging five points, two rebounds and two assists across 20 minutes in a 112–111 win over the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. Four days later, Wade scored six points and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in 27 minutes of action in a 112–109 victory against the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. On March 3, Wade scored a then-career-high 17 points, knocking down five 3-pointers to go along with six rebounds, two assists and one steal across 31 minutes of play in a 114–111 loss to the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. On April 11, Wade scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-12 field goal shooting and 5-of-8 from three, in addition to six rebounds, two assists and a game-high three steals in 31 minutes of action in a 116–109 loss to the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. On May 10, Wade logged his first career

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the ter ...

with 19 points and a career-high tying 12 rebounds in a 111–102 loss to the

2021–22 season

After Lauri Markkanen entered the NBA's

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

health and safety protocols, Wade became the starter at the

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

position. On November 18, 2021, Wade logged 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from three, along with nine rebounds and a career-high five assists across a career-high 40 minutes of play in a 104–89 loss to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. On December 15, Wade posted his second career

with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a 124–89 win over the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

. With Markkanen being sidelined due to a sprained ankle he sustained in a game against the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

on January 22, 2022, Wade returned to the starting lineup. On March 28, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee which he sustained on March 12 in a game in Chicago.

2022–23 season

On June 22, 2022, the Cavaliers announced they exercised their fourth-year team option on Wade, keeping him with the team for another season. On September 26, Wade signed a multi-year contract extension with the team. On October 30, 2022, Wade scored a career high of 22 points shooting 6-of-8 from three versus the

. That night, Wade,

Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time All-Star and a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team, winning an N ...

, and

Donovan Mitchell Donovan Vernell Mitchell Jr. (born September 7, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Spida", he was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NBA ...

set the NBA record for most three-pointers made by three different teammates in a single game, scoring a total of 22 threes.

2023–24 season

On March 5, 2024, Wade scored a career-high 23 points, with 20 of them coming in the fourth quarter, spearheading a 22-point comeback win over the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

—the largest fourth-quarter comeback in Cavaliers franchise history.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, 12 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .692 , , .500 , , .000 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , .2 , , .3 , , 1.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 63 , , 19 , , 19.2 , , .431 , , .366 , , .769 , , 3.4 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .3 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 51 , , 28 , , 19.2 , , .456 , , .359 , , .667 , , 2.9 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .1 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 44 , , 13 , , 20.3 , , .412 , , .354 , , .652 , , 3.4 , , .8 , , .6 , , .5 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 54 , , 32 , , 20.5 , , .414 , , .391 , , .769 , , 4.0 , , .8 , , .7 , , .5 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 59 , , 30 , , 21.2 , , .413 , , .360 , , .533 , , 4.2 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .3 , , 5.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 283 , , 122 , , 19.5 , , .428 , , .368 , , .678 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .3 , , 5.2

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 0 , , 5.6 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 1 , , 21.0 , , .308 , , .300 , , , , 2.0 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .7 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 1 , , 15.8 , , .333 , , .214 , , , , 4.2 , , .7 , , .3 , , .1 , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 14 , , 2 , , 15.4 , , .313 , , .240 , , 1.000 , , 3.4 , , .8 , , .3 , , .2 , , 2.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 31 , , 26.4 , , .434 , , .292 , , .656 , , 5.1 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .5 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 35 , , 28.0 , , .496 , , .402 , , .663 , , 4.5 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .7 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 32 , , 32.8 , , .550 , , .440 , , .752 , , 6.2 , , 2.7 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 16.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 25 , , 25 , , 30.4 , , .492 , , .418 , , .789 , , 6.2 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .5 , , 12.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 126 , , 123 , , 29.3 , , .498 , , .386 , , .711 , , 5.4 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , .6 , , 12.0

Personal life

Wade graduated with a bachelor's degree in social science.

References

External links

*
Kansas State Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Dean 1996 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Wichita, Kansas Canton Charge players Cleveland Cavaliers players Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards Undrafted NBA players 21st-century American sportsmen