Sep. 15--Chicago-area native Dwyane Wade now has an Olympic gold medal to go with his NBA championship ring as a Miami Heat guard. A bowling trophy? Not yet. But at least he sports one very cool bowling shirt.
In town last week for events benefiting his Wade World charities--aimed at helping kids in at-risk situations--Wade arrived for his bowling party at 10pin Bowling Lounge clad in a crisp khaki top. Emblazoned on the back: a lightning bolt chasing two terrified pins, with the orange-cream words "FLASH CREW" (after Wade's NBA nickname, "Flash").
So what makes a hoops star, when off the court, embrace kegling? Here, Wade waxes philosophical on the joys of a different brand of roundball:
Q: I heard you're taking this event so seriously that you had your own bowling ball drilled. True?
A: I was practicing down there at 10pin and my ball was 16 pounds--it was super-heavy! I was like, "I need to lighten this ball up." So I went and had a ball made downtown.
Q: So where do you sit on the Great Bowling Debate: Is it a true sport, or more a game like chess that requires no real athletic skill?
A: I'll tell you one thing: When people say that a certain sport is not a sport--have them play that sport and see if they can do it. Golf is one of the hardest sports you've ever played. Bowling is all about concentration, it's all about focus, it's all about aim.
Q: So what's your high game?
A: My greatest night ever? I bowled a 195. But with my bowling game, I can roll a 195, or I can go right to a 95. So I'm in a big range of, um ... inconsistency.
Q: Ever watch "The Big Lebowski" or "Kingpin"?
A: Not bowling films, but any time I can watch it on TV, I watch it. Chris Paul, my teammate from the Olympics, his family is big into bowling and they host an event in North Carolina that I'll be going to in the next two weeks. He's been on the cover of a bowling magazine; it just makes me want to be a better player.
Q: Any qualities from the hoops court that translate well in the bowling alley?
jhawkfan2411 
