A profile in parental courage: “D. Wade: Life Unexpected”

As its title suggests, D. Wade: Life Unexpected is an unexpected film. The latest offering from ESPN Films and Imagine Documentaries (an offspring of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment company), the doc follows the all-too-familiar trajectory of basketball legend Dwayne Wade – from impoverished childhood on the mean streets of Chicago in the 80s with a drug-addicted single mom, to superstar status as a 13-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champ. But what elevates Wade’s story above usual well-worn cliché is that the film’s director and executive producer Bob Metelus, a longtime friend and cinematographer (and thankfully, one of many POCs involved in the production – including another legend, the Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning producer Sam Pollard), digs deep beneath the surface of a heralded sports figure. In the process revealing a surprising human being who would most likely be a hero had he never even picked up a ball.

To read the rest of my review visit Global Comment.