Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade has been awarded sole custody of both of his sons, 8 year old Zaire and 3 year old Zion. This has ended a very long and public custody battle with Dwaye's ex-wife Siohvaughn Wade. The sole custody to Dwayne was awarded by Judge Renee Goldfarb of Cook County Illinois.
Wade's divorce from Siohvaughn was granted last June, after a lengthy separation.
Siohvaughn will have what the court described as "regular parenting time" on alternating weekends in Miami, as well as several other times during the year, including Mother's Day. Dwyane Wade has also repeatedly stated that he wants his sons to have healthy relationships with their mother.
Still, the 102-page ruling had some sharp words for Wade's ex-wife.
"This court finds that (Siohvaughn Wade) has embarked on an unstoppable and relentless pattern of conduct for over two years to alienate the children from their father, and lacks either the ability or the willingness to facilitate, let alone encourage, a close and continuing relationship between them," read a portion of the ruling entered by Judge Renee G. Goldfarb.
According to Wade's attorney, James Pritikin, the custody trial was one of the longest ever in Cook County history. Wade filed the motion asking for sole custody nearly a year ago, though the legal tussle has gone on considerably longer.
Speaking on the recent court victory, The Miami player commented:
"I am very thankful that the court has given me custody of my boys and they are already at home with me in Miami and settling in. Going through a custody trial was difficult and I wish it hadn't been necessary, but, I felt it was the only way that I could continue to play an active part of my kids' lives and provide them with a happy and stable home. My hope is that their mother will also choose to play a healthy role in their lives and we can all move on from this in a positive way."
Now that the boys are finally back home with their father, Dwayne can now focus on helping his beaten and battered Miami Heat as they try to close out their NBA season.