D-WADE BUYS MOM A CHURCH

Before she was known as the mother of the Miami Heat superstar and 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwayne Wade, Jolinda Wade was known as an inmate, a fugitive, a drug user and drug seller. Her life turned around seven years ago when, after years of urging by her children, she got help and got clean. Along the way, she devoted her life to spreading the word of God, starting her first ministry while doing time in state prison. Now, that ministry has a new home, called the Temple of Praise. Jolinda Wade's very own church. Dwayne bought it, and her children and her congregation gathered to dedicate it Sunday afternoon. Since becoming a Baptist pastor, Jolinda Wade shares the title of pastor with LaDell Jones, whom she befriended when they began minister training together in 2004. Dwayne never turned his back on his mother, not even when she was bouncing between jail and prison and she was at rock bottom. Since joining the NBA and amassing a small fortune, he hasn't been shy about showering his mother in lavish gifts, including a car and a house. Of course, he never planned to give her a church.