A Dwyane Wade Christmas: Bulls star delivers ‘3 Under the Tree’

Dwyane Wade’s ode to playing Santa was a red T-shirt, his sleigh a black SUV that pulled up to the Austin home of Monique Middleton.

The mother of three’s struggle to put herself through nursing school, to give her family a better life, had meant her children going without this year.

The Chicago Bulls star was going to make sure they had a really good Christmas, the kind a partnership with the Bulls and The RoomPlace can provide. The family came home to all new furniture, Wade in their living room near a tree stacked high with presents.

“It’s so much negativity in Chicago. One thing that we try to do since I’ve been back in Chicago is shine some positive,” says Wade, with two more stops ahead of him as part of his foundation’s “3 Under the Tree” program.

“You turn on the news, and all people hear about Chicago around the world is ‘Chiraq,’” says the 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard. “My thing is, there’s a lot of positive things going on here too, but a lot of people don’t know that because all we talk about now is the 700-plus murders.”

At his first stop, there was no talk of Chicago’s record gun violence — which personally touched Wade shortly after he returned to his hometown in July, signing with the Bulls after 13 years with the Miami Heat. His 32-year-old cousin and mother of four, Nykea Aldridge, was killed on Aug. 26 as she pushed her baby in a stroller. A stray bullet struck her in the head. Two men, recently paroled, were shooting at someone else.

Wade would talk about that later in the day, at his third holiday stop, where he and his foundation had found a nice way to honor his late cousin.

For now, the Austin family’s tears and “thank yous” followed him out the door as he climbed back into his SUV and headed to the By The Hand Club For Kids in Austin.

Here, Wade, born and raised in poverty-plagued South Side neighborhoods and in south suburban Robbins, hosted a pizza party with gifts for 100 kids, most of them growing up in the environment he did.

The NBA legend’s mother was a drug-addicted teen mom who was in and out of jail when Wade was a kid. She’s long recovered and a church pastor. But Wade grew up in poverty, around drugs and the gang life, with police raids of his home, coming across dead bodies on several occasions. Basketball was his way out.

“I don’t forget where I come from, being a kid that needed a handout, being a family that needed someone to come in and put a little special attention on us, hearing some kind words,” says Wade.

Several teens at the pizza party were from his foundation’s “Spotlight On” program, which identifies accomplished youth, invites them to a Bulls game, and puts them under a spotlight in the arena where they are applauded.

“We did some cool things at that family’s home. Now we’re here with kids who are doing good things, because you want to continue to pat kids on the back. They need that positive reinforcement,” Wade says. “I’m thankful to be here to surprise them, talk to them for a minute.”

The decibel level was deafening when the three-time NBA champion and 12-time All Star walked into the auditorium.

High-fives. Hugs. Pictures. Cards from the kids. Speech from Wade. Off to the final stop.

Four families awaited him at Dylan’s, the last of this day’s “3 Under the Tree.” One was Wade’s aunt, Diane Aldridge, 63, of Lansing, mother of Nykea Aldridge, who is now raising her four grandchildren, ages 4 months to 12 years old.

Three other families enjoying a party in a private room there also lost loved ones among the more than 750 people killed in Chicago’s deadliest year in over two decades.

Latoya Ford’s husband was killed July 11 in Roseland.

Mary Rhone’s daughter was killed July 30 in Austin.

Olivia Villegas’ daughter was killed Feb. 20 in Little Village.

Wade’s aunt hosted them, with plenty of gifts from the Wade’s World Foundation, food, activities, and candy. When Wade walked in, adults and children alike were rendered ecstatic.

“For my aunt, at the end of the night when all the lights go out, obviously the pain still is there,” says Wade as he ends this day, preparing to head back to his sleigh, er, SUV.

“And you know, the hard part is when you look at these young kids, who are the most innocent people in the world, and don’t really understand exactly what happened to them and how this is going to affect their lives,” he says.

“To be able to give them a moment to forget about all that, and just enjoy the holidays together, is very cool.”