Dean Wade

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Wade's journey began in small-town Kansas, where he led St. John High School to three state championships and earned Mr. Kansas Basketball honors. At Kansas State, he evolved into a first-team All-Big 12 selection, averaging 16.2 points as a junior before his senior season was cut short by injury. Undrafted in 2019, Wade signed a two-way deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made his NBA debut on November 18, 2019, and spent much of that rookie year with the Canton Charge, where he started 29 games and averaged 14.2 points. His breakthrough came in the 2020-21 season when he recorded a career-high 21 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 11.

In Their Own Story

On October 30, 2022, Wade etched his name in the record books alongside Kevin Love and Donovan Mitchell. In a game against the New York Knicks, the trio set an NBA record for most three-pointers made by different teammates in a single game with 22 total threes, as Wade himself knocked down six of eight attempts for a then-career-high 22 points. His resilience was further highlighted on March 5, 2024, when he scored a career-best 23 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter to spearhead a historic 22-point comeback victory over the Boston Celtics. This performance remains the largest fourth-quarter comeback in Cavaliers franchise history.

Reader's Guide

Wade played four years of varsity basketball at St. John High School before college. At Kansas State, he was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team as a freshman and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors after his junior and senior seasons. In the NBA, Wade signed a multi-year deal with Cleveland on July 2, 2020. He suffered a torn meniscus in March 2022 requiring surgery but returned to sign a three-year, $18.5 million extension in September 2022. After seven seasons in Cleveland, including the 2024-25 and 2025-26 campaigns where he averaged roughly 5 points and 4 rebounds, Wade signed a four-year, $39 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on July 6, 2026.

Did You Know?

• Wade's mother led the St. John High School volleyball team to three state championships.
• He went undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft before signing a two-way contract with Cleveland.
• On October 30, 2022, Wade helped set an NBA record for most threes made by three different teammates (22) alongside Kevin Love and Donovan Mitchell.
• Wade scored 20 of his career-high 23 points in the fourth quarter during a historic comeback against the Boston Celtics on March 5, 2024.
• His senior season at Kansas State was cut short by a foot injury.