Video: Ex-Wife of NBA Star Dwyane Wade Protests Custody Battle In Downtown Chicago

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 21, 2013 4:00PM

The ex-wife of Miami Heat star and Chicago native Dwyane Wade sat in the heat outside Daley Center Friday to protest the ongoing bitter custody battle over the couple’s children and what she claims as the fix being in against her.

Siohvaughn Funches-Wade said she was driven to stage the sit-down protest after another week of exasperating court appearances that didn’t favor her. Funches-Wade laid a mat out on the Daley Center plaza, produced a sign that read “NBA Miami Heat star, mother of his children on the streets” and, with her sister and mother by her side, held court to anyone who would listen about her ongoing legal battle.

“Dwyane Wade is offering to pay only some of what he owes me if I sign an agreement never again to discuss what happened in our marriage or with our children. I refuse,” the ex-wife said. “I finally told (Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thomas) Carr I just wanted to end the case and keep my freedom and my voice. I told him I didn’t want anything from Dwyane. The judge demanded the trial continue. I couldn’t believe it.”

Dwyane Wade was awarded custody of his sons Zaire and Zion in 2010 and has paid for his ex-wife’s legal expenses throughout the ensuing court battle; Siohvaughn Funches-Wade has blown through a dozen attorneys so far. Last week, Carr ordered Funches-Wade arrested for appearing late in court. She was also charged last June with two counts of attempted child abduction, two counts of unlawful visitation interference and one count of resisting arrest. Dwyane Wade’s attorney, James B. Pritikin, said in court Monday his client’s position is that Funches-Wade is that “has issues, and she needs to deal with those issues.”

Below is six minutes of video from Funches-Wade’s protest, via Deadspin.