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Wade, 38, and his mother have overcome many obstacles to get their relationship to where it is today. Jolinda Wade struggled with a drug addiction when Dwyane Wade was young, but the former NBA player, who lived with his father as a child, told Oprah Winfrey in 2012 that he \"never gave up on her\" and \"never blamed her.\"

WATCH: Cullen Jones challenges 'black people don't swim' stereotype

Video: Cullen Jones challenges 'black people don't swim' stereotype

\"That was her life. That was her journey, her path,\" he said. \"Without that path, I'm not who I am today.\"

Eventually, Jolinda Wade got sober, and according to a 2008 profile by ESPN turned herself in to authorities in 2001 to serve a prison term. While behind bars, she started a ministry, ESPN reported, and in 2008, Dwyane Wade bought her a church in their hometown of Chicago.

\"I feel reborn,\" Jolinda Wade told ESPN at the time. \"Matter of fact, I feel reborn every day. There's always something new every day. I just thank God for the experience.\"

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