Wade honored for work with students
Parkland, Illinois kids got benefit of his generosity.
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade continues to earn recognition for his support of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High.
On Monday, the NBA announced that Wade has earned the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for March because of his support for Douglas and the Parkland community since 14 students and three adults were killed at the school by a lone gunman on Feb. 14. The award is presented each month to the player who best reflects the passion that the league and its players share for giving back to their com- munities. Wade was presented the award during an on-court ceremony before Monday’s home game against the Thun- der. In addition, Kaiser Permanente donate $10,000 and the to NBA the Dwy- will ane Wade Family Founda- tion.
“It’s an honor,” Wade said. “You got so many guys around this league that are doing amazing things in their communities. So, obviously, no one does it to be rewarded the Community Assist Award. But ... I’m honored and I’m thankful.”
students Wade surprised March 7 by Douglas visiting the school and meeting with students and school officials on the first full day of classes after the tragedy. Addit i onally, Wade a nd his wife, Gabrielle Union, donated $200,000 to help students from his hometown of Chicago join the “March for Our Lives” rallies held on March 24.
Wade also helped turn an empty warehouse in the Wynwood district of Miami into a tribute to honor the victims of the shooting, call- ing it the “Parkland 17.” Onamore personal level, Wade dedicated the remainder of the season to Joaquin Oliver — one of the Doug- las shooting victims — and invited Joaquin’s mom, dad and sister to a Heat game and presented them with custom shoes and a game worn jer- sey. The 17-year-old Joaquin was buried in a Wade jersey. Wade is also a finalist for the 2017-18 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award given by the Professional Basketball Writers Association. The honor, named after the NBA’s second commissioner, is presented to a player, coach or athletic trainer who demonstrates outstanding service and dedication to the com- munity. Ellington looks to set 3-point mark: The Heat have already clinched a playoff spot, but Wayne Elling- ton has a few things left to play for this regular season. First, Ellington is still help- ing the Heat in their fight for playoff positioning. And second, he still has some work to do to set a new team record for 3-pointers made by an individual in a single season. Entering Monday, Ellington is second on the list with 218 made 3s. He’s eight 3-pointers away from breaking Damon Jones’ team record of 225, set in the 200405 season. Ellington is averaging 2.9 made 3-pointers per game. He would need to average four made 3-pointers in each of the final two games to pass Jones. “To be a leader in any statistical category for this franchise is a huge thing,” Ellington said Monday when asked what it would mean to get the record. Ellington already made NBA history when he established an NBA record for 3-pointers made off the bench in a single season during Wednesday’s win over the Hawks. He broke Eric Gordon’s mark of 206 set last season with the Rockets.