California Road Trips Guide - 2023 - 8

ROAD TRIPS 2023
B
asketball star Dwyane Wade
handles time management with the
same grace he once used to make
his legendary crossover moves.
Sticking true to his court nickname,
" Flash, " Wade spends his post-NBA days hustling
through a hectic schedule.
Since the three-time NBA champion and
newest member of the NBA Hall of Fame retired
in 2019 and moved to Los Angeles, he divides his
time between producing documentaries, hosting
a TV game show, developing the Wade Cellars
wine brand, and keeping tabs on multiple other
business ventures. He cofounded a nonalcoholic
beer and a skincare line for babies with
melanated skin. He owns a piece of the NBA's
Utah Jazz. And he's raising fi ve kids.
Reinventing yourself for life's Act Two
requires self-refl ection, Wade says, and California
has granted him a soulful landscape and muchneeded
quiet time.
" At 41 years old, I need solitude. I like to fi nd
moments where no one can expect anything
of me, and California allows me to have those
moments. I'll drive to the beach and walk next
to the water. I'll drive to San Diego, I'll drive to
Santa Barbara, I'll drive to Malibu. I'll drive all
over in order to fi nd those moments to connect
with myself as I walk along the edge of the water.
I get my energy from that. "
Downtime by the ocean allows Wade to think
creatively about his future and focus on the
people who matter most to him.
Wade's wife, actress and author Gabrielle
Union, shares in the parenting duties while
managing her own high-profi le career. Th e
couple breaks away for road trips to destinations
like Santa Barbara, San Diego, Newport Beach,
and Palm Springs.
" One of my responsibilities is to look at our
schedules and fi gure out when we can get away.
I make the plans, we put our bags in the car, and
we hop in, " he says. " We play our playlists. We
have conversations. We joke and laugh like we're
dating again. I hold her hand while I'm driving.
It's a way we reconnect. "
Wade enjoys solo drives, too, especially
steering his custom Ford Bronco through the
curving canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains.
" I love the topography of California. Th ere's
so much beauty in the mountains, the trees, the
sunsets. Th ere's so much to look at, " he says.
" I can get mesmerized looking at a community
of houses on top of a mountain. I didn't see
places like that in Chicago where I grew up, or in
Milwaukee where I went to college, or in Miami
where I played. "
Th e gleaming white Bronco was his dream car
for his post-basketball life. " I always wanted to
have a Bronco. I liked the idea of throwing my
golf clubs in the back, having my dogs ride with
me, " he says. " I like the clarity of driving, whether
Wade starred in the
NBA for 16 years
Wade and his wife,
Gabrielle Union
8 | VISITCALIFORNIA.COM
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California Road Trips Guide - 2023

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