Wade, Diener raise money for youth literacy in Milwaukee

SAUKVILLE, Wis. – They teamed up on the court as part of the famed 2003 Final Four Marquette squad.

Now, Dwyane Wade and Travis Diener are collaborating on their most important project yet.

“I think everything that Travis and I talked about, what we wanted to accomplish in this first year, without doing this before together, it’s been everything that we’ve wanted,” said Dwyane Wade, former Marquette guard and three-time NBA Champion.

Wade and Diener are teaming up once again in Milwaukee, this time to champion a cause near and dear to Wade’s heart. Their goal is to raise awareness for youth literacy.

“I think in the midst of my success, a lot of people forgot that I was academically ineligible when I came to Marquette University,” said Wade. “Because of the community I grew up in, I was behind as well, and I was playing catch up my whole life. I found out a lot of statistics and information about Wisconsin and about the gap when it comes to the minority community out here.”

“We met over 20 years ago, and we come from totally different backgrounds, and we’ve forged this bond between us on the court, but most importantly off the court, so it’s important that we pay it forward,” said Travis Diener, former Marquette guard.

That’s how Wade vs. Diener came to be.

The three-day fundraising event featured a girls’ basketball camp, a tailgate party and the culminating event was an 18-hole golf outing at The Bog in Saukville.

“I’m thankful for Trav to be on board with what we’re trying to do, and lending our time together to try to build something together and try to see if we can make an impact,” said Wade.

Wade vs. Diener will raise funds through Marquette for local youth literacy programs, along with the Tragil Wade-Johnson Summer Reading Program, which aims to combat the summer slide.

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The program is named in honor of Wade’s sister.

“This is amazing,” said Tragil Wade-Johnson. “Someone was saying, what do you want out of this? I just want more conversations to be had about this space of literacy. We have to get involved in helping these grade levels go up.”

And for Wade, the chance to return to Milwaukee to give back, be an advocate for literacy, and do it all with the support of his teammates, is something that is not lost on him.

“We all created something special here,” said Wade. “We’re still in this community here. We’ve done some amazing things, we’ve left some amazing stories, but that cannot be the end of our journey. This team is impactful for a reason.”

But how impactful would their golf game be to cap off a successful fundraiser?

“I beat him yesterday in golf everybody,” said Wade. “Just wanted to let you all know I’ve been golfing for four years.”

“I gave him 22 shots,” responded Diener.

Before hitting the golf course, the pair selected teams.

“He’s had a much better weekend so far winning, but I think I can be a good general manager,” said Diener. “I drafted some good players.”

Then, the competition was on.

So, who are the ultimate winners of Wade vs. Diener? They’re the kids who will benefit from all the funds raised, and the friendships that still endure.

“What is our journey?” asked Wade. “So, like now, me and Travis are on that journey to say let’s continue to do the things together. Let’s see what our next 20 years can be like. What impact can we make in the community of Milwaukee that they will still talk about 20 years from now? Hopefully it’s something bigger than basketball.”