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politics when he has felt it’s needed. A month before the Iraq war started, for example, Nash wore a T-shirt on the court that said, ‘‘No War Shoot for Peace.” At the time, such sentiment wasn’t fashionable, and expressing political views often can lead to fallout from fans and sponsors. Nash, however, had no reservations about sharing his thoughts. “I never want to put my self on a soapbox all the time because that can wear thin on the public,” he says. “But I also need to be my self. I did that because I felt it was an important time in this world, and the general public should examine the issues.” Today, his unique worldview still guides him. Nash’s founda tion touches people all around the world, from Phoenix (where he plays for the Suns) to Canada (where he was raised) to Para guay (where his wife, Alejandra, hails from). Just recently Nash headed out to China to launch an all-star game and fundraiser with Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets. Together the two raised $2.5 million to improve edu- i cational resources in poor rural com- | munities there. Other Nash activities include sup- 1 porting AIDS awareness efforts in Vancouver; meeting with cancer pa- 1 dents in New York before a Suns/Knicks game; refurbishing basketball courts for young people in Phoenix; and a fundraising campaign for Hospital de Clinicas in Asuncion, Para guay, one of that country’s oldest hospitals. Nash took special interest in the hospital after he heard some heartbreaking stories about child care there through his wife and her friends. “We found out about a little boy there who needed heart surgery as a newborn but they simply didn’t have the equipment to do it,” Nash says. “My wife has a friend who works in the hospital who told us that she saw another baby there turning blue. She asked why the baby wasn’t in an incubator. They told her that there were only two incubators, and they were occupied by babies who had a better chance to live. It’s amazing that the things we take for granted here amount to a dream over there.” CCM* OPTi NASH: SUt T*. BEIT AND POCKET SQUARE BY BROOKS MOTHERS. SHOT BY THOMAS PMK. CUFF UNKS BY JOHN S. MAMA. SHOCS BY TED BAKER; WAO£ SUft) SHUT ANO FOCXET SQUAtt BY aEVH. KIT BROOKS CUFF LINKS BY THACEY MEYER SHOES BY FIORSHCM. INSIDE CRECTTS: MASH: SPORTS COAT BY BROOKS MOTHERS. T-SHIRT ANO JEANS BY BOSS HUGO BOSS, SHOES SV PftAQA WAO£ BLAZER AND SHKT tv ELEV&. SHOES SY CONVtRS£ 8Y JOHN VMVAJOS ' fit mm ml* that the things take for granted here amount to a dream over there.” k l '• S H Rff " v. Li V knPi > v * < ii- x • '*.-w.-*- - flH| 1 i -Bw .^25*iSP ■^PF 1 ■ 4, '■SABI DWYANE WADE: Youth will be served Wade has never given in to lowered ex pectations. In high school, he was re cruited by just three colleges and ended up at Marquette, where, in 2003, he led the team to the Final Four for the first time since 1977. Then, when he turned pro, he was overshadowed within a draft class that included Carmelo Anthony and Leßron James. Even still, Wade led the Miami Heat to its first NBA champion ship ever in just his third year, when he won the Finals MVP award. Given his inclination to challenge expectations, it’s not surprising that Wade takes the same approach to giving back. Philanthropic minded athletes V typically launch am bitious foundations in the middle or late stages of their careers. But Wade launched his, Wade’s World Foundation, in his rookie year. “I just liked the sound of the name,” he says, in a playful mood. “ ‘Wade’s World! Wade’s World!’ Just like the two guys in the movie Wayne’s World.” Giving back is something he always has felt destined to do Our two Most Caring Athletes go head-to-head for Miami and Phoenix. ... m* JfCfl Wfj r ■ . sF. HE. “When I \ got Christmas presents, I’d give them away that week.” since he was a kid growing up in Robbins, DL “When I got Christ mas presents, I’d give them away that week,” he says. “I’d get a lot of clothing and shoes, and I’d be like, ‘I already have lots of clothes and shoes.’ So we’d find a shelter and drop them off” When he got to the pros, he was eager to make an even greater impact. Wade’s World hosts an annual, week-long free summer camp for 600 kids in Robbins. It also stages an annual Christmas party for 250 chil dren in South Florida at a local amusement park. And after the Heat won the championship in 2006, Wade chartered two buses from Miami to take 100 local chil dren to Disney World for free. He partnered with Staples on a park improvement program in South Florida. And, this past winter holiday, he donated shoes and clothes to Katrina victims. It doesn’t hurt that Wade happens to have played with two Heat stars who also are well-known for their outpouring of community work: Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning. Both are past USA WEEKEND Most Caring Athletes (O’Neal in 2005 and Mourning in 2001), and both of them have offered lots of good advice to their young teammate. The main lesson: Be true to yourself and the foun dation will grow. “I’m so lucky to have them around,” Wade says. “They’re happy to share what they know with me. They told me, ‘Don’t do something because you feel obligated. You have to feel it in your heart.’ That’s really like having a blueprint for my foun dation, right there in the locker room.” ca For more information or to contribute to the foundations of Wade and Nash, go to dwyanewade.com and stevenash.org. USA WEEKEND • Oct 12-14,2007 WAO£ WITH CHIU). 15 SAC BAUXZOt NUAE VIA GETTY IMAGtS, NASH AT CHABITY EVENT: MM tEUNUCIVAP PHOTO; WAUi AND NASH ON COURT OAKY I HOTHS ft IN. ICON SMI 7