January 11, 2008

Miami fifth-year All-Star guard Dwyane Wade spent the early portion of Thursday afternoon practicing with his teammates at the New Orleans Arena. Immediately after the Heat concluded their workout, Wade joined Hornets guard Chris Paul at the Sylvanie F. Williams Elementary School, in the uptown area of New Orleans.

There, Wade and Paul held a ceremony in which they donated $5,000 apiece to the school. The donation resulted in the creation of the Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul Family and Community Resource Center. The room has already been stocked with computers, educational materials and furniture for students.

Hornets.com caught up with Wade during the event to hear his thoughts on his contributions to the city of New Orleans, his good friend CP3 and the early-season struggles of the Heat.

Hornets.com: What prompted you and Chris Paul to decide to make the donation at this New Orleans elementary school?
Wade: We’ve got a lot of things coming up that we’re going to do during All-Star Weekend, but I didn’t want to wait until then to do something. Chris and I are the best of friends, and we decided that when (the Miami Heat) came to play here, we would do something together.

We had people from both of our foundations search for the best thing we could do in New Orleans, and we wanted it to be something that involved kids. This was a great opportunity for our foundations to make a small contribution. It turned out to be a great thing. We both love doing things for kids, so this was perfect. It was an easy decision to make.

We both wanted to make an impact in the community of New Orleans and get a jump-start on it before All-Star Weekend. New Orleans has become a special place in a lot of people’s hearts because of Hurricane Katrina and everything that this town has been through. The strength that continues to come out of this city is incredible. I couldn’t wait to come down here and do my part. Like I said, this is a small contribution. There is more to come.

Hornets.com: How did the kids react to seeing two of the NBA’s biggest stars walking through their school today?
Wade: [grins] Kids do two things. When they first see you, they are kind of in shock of seeing some of their favorite NBA players up close. Then after they loosen up, they start asking you questions and being fans.

Hornets.com: If you were an MVP voter, would you vote for Chris Paul right now?
Wade: You know, Chris is playing unbelievably well. I can’t think of anyone who makes players around him better the way he does. Chris is definitely a candidate, and I think his name should be mentioned a little bit more than it has been, especially with as well as New Orleans is playing.

Hornets.com: You mentioned how close you guys are off the court, but during one of the games last season you exchanged a few words. Do you expect more trash-talking in the game Friday?
Wade: Always. Chris is one of my best friends, not just in the NBA, but period. But when game time comes, we’re both trying to win a ballgame. [grins] Chris is a very fiery guy, a fiery point guard. I told him he’s got a ‘complex’ because he’s always the shortest guy out there. But that’s what makes him great, that he’s so competitive.

Hornets.com: What’s the key for the Heat to turn around the team’s fortunes in the second half of the season?
Wade: Any time you lose it’s frustrating. My main thing is to keep continue playing to try to get out of this slump. We just have to keep fighting.

Hornets.com: Many basketball fans are familiar with the T-Mobile television commercials in which you appear with Charles Barkley. How did the idea to pair you with Charles originate?
Wade: I think when you put together a TV commercial, you have to find two different personalities and hopefully come up with a good spot. Our personalities are totally different – Charles is very outspoken, while I’m not as outspoken as Charles. You put that together and hope to have a good mix. It worked very well right from the first commercial. I enjoy it. We’ve got two or three more commercials that are going to be coming out that are pretty funny.