Former Marquette men’s basketball star guard Dwyane Wade will be Marquette’s 2022 Commencement speaker, a high-ranking university official has confirmed to the Marquette Wire.
One of Marquette’s most decorated athletes, Wade helped the Golden Eagles to their first Final Four appearance in 2003 since its national championship season in 1977. In Marquette’s 83-69 win over No. 1-overall seed Kentucky in the Elite Eight, Wade finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Wade was named a consensus first team All-America and the Conference USA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2003.
“Through his voice and his actions, both on and off the court, Dwyane Wade has done what Marquette University asks of all of its students and alumni: to Be The Difference,” Marquette President Michael R. Lovell said in a statement Tuesday morning. “He is a credit to the transformational experience our university offers its students and, in turn, has been a great source of excitement and pride to the Marquette community. We are delighted to once again welcome Dwyane back to Milwaukee to deliver an inspiring address and offer a memorable send-off to our graduates.”
After being drafted fifth overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, Wade lead the Heat to the playoffs as a rookie and led the team to the 2006 NBA Championship, earning NBA Finals MVP after averaging 34.7 points in the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
During the 2018-19 NBA season, Wade became the third player in NBA history to record at least 20,000 points, 5,000 assists, 4,000 rebounds, 1,500 steals, 800 blocks and 500 3-pointers.
On the national stage, Wade represented Team USA in the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
We can’t wait to announce this year’s undergraduate Commencement speaker tomorrow! Until then, here’s a clue… ⚡ pic.twitter.com/sy2qb1Glio
— Marquette University (@MarquetteU) April 27, 2022
An official announcement from Marquette is expected to come around 11 am CST tomorrow.
Graduation ceremonies will take place May 22 at Summerfest.
This story was written by John Leuzzi. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JohnLeuzziMU.