**Dwyane Wade’s mother, Jolinda, was a heroin and cocaine addict. After getting clean in 2001, she is now a pastor.
**Paul Millsap has three brothers – John Elijah and Abraham. His mother is very religious and named her children after people from the Bible.
**Dirk Nowitzki served a mandatory stint in the German army from Sept. 1997 to June 1998.
**Alexis Ajinca was a former BMX champion as a child.
**Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is a prince in his village of Bafia (Cameroon).
**Luol Deng is the from Dinka tribe in the Sudan and was taught basketball by Manute Bol, a member of the same tribe.
**Vince Carter was the drum major of his high school band. He received an offer for a music scholarship from Bethune-Cookman.
**Tim Duncan was a swimmer when he was younger. He was a top US competitor in the 400 freestyle when he was 9 years old.
**George Hill did not play basketball until he was 14 years old. He played soccer instead.
**Randy Foye was raised by his grandmothers, Ruth Martin and Betty Foye. His father died in a motorcycle accident when he was 3 and his mother – who gave birth to Randy at age 14 – left when he was 6 years old.
Peter Newmann is an analyst and writer who spent 10 years at ESPN, 8 as the NBA senior researcher working 24/7 on the league. He wrote game notes for crews, articles for ESPN.com, analysis for studio shows, and regularly assisted reporters and writers. Follow him on Twitter, and check out his Web site, www.peternewmann.com.