Dwyane Wade Was His Mom’s Pen Pal While She Was Locked Up — Here’s Why She Went to Jail

During the July 7, 2025, episode of TODAY with Jenna & Friends, Dwyane Wade stepped into co-hosting duties and was met with a heartfelt surprise — a video message from his mother, Jolinda Wade. In the clip, Jolinda read a letter she wrote to her son, reflecting on their journey together, including the time he served as her pen pal while she was incarcerated.

“Your letters got me through each day and enabled me to be a part of all the wonderful things that were happening in your life,” she said, also mentioning how he sent her photos of his firstborn, Zaire, who arrived on Feb. 4, 2002.

While viewers were touched by Jolinda’s words, many were shocked to learn she had once served time in prison. So what exactly led to her incarceration?

Dwyane Wade’s mom, who goes by Momma Wade, spent time in and out of prison at various points throughout the ’90s and early 2000s, and around the time Dwyane was being scouted for the NBA. Her struggles stemmed from drug addiction and dealing, something she’s been very open about.

She says throughout it all, her kids never judged her. In fact, Dwyane has encouraged her to speak out, even with his high-profile position in sports and media, because he believes her story could help others.

In a 2017 interview with WTHR, Momma Wade reflected on her darkest moments, sharing that she became “real good buddies” with heroin. She said she was merely “existing, not living,” facing close calls with overdosing and even suicidal thoughts. But it was the image of her kids that kept her going.

Her addiction started with opioids and spiraled into heroin. To support her habit, she began selling drugs, which led to jail time. She admitted during her 2025 TODAY appearance, “I grappled many years with drug addiction — heroin, alcohol, pills … alcoholism, homelessness, in and out of prison, just living a life that was totally separated from my babies.”

She added, “I always wanted to be a mother, but once I stopped being that person, I lost myself and didn’t know how to grab myself back.”

But on Oct. 14, 2001, she says “He called me out,” referring to her faith, and that day marked the start of her turning her life around. By 2017, she was proudly 16 years clean.

Since her faith played such a major role in helping her reclaim her life, Dwyane bought his mom a church in Chicago in 2008 so she could practice and share her faith regularly. She now serves as a Baptist pastor at the church, called Temple of Praise.

While Momma Wade’s journey was anything but easy, she’s always had the support of her kids, and they remain extremely close. Dwyane has shared that she still sends him voice notes, and her words continue to hit just as hard as they did when he was a kid. Even now, at 43, he says hearing her voice makes him feel like he “can conquer anything.”