Why Does Wyane Wade Misspell His Name?

Dwyane Wade’s first name is unusually pronounced, with the “y” preceding the “a” instead of the common order in “Wayne” and plus a “D”. This misplacement makes his full name the most misspelled name in sports, according to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal. In 97,823 first references, longtime Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last name was spelled incorrectly. Of the 142,599 articles Wade was mentioned in, 6,480 misspelled his name. Miikka Kiprusoff, a former NHL goalie, came in second with his name wrong 3.2% of the time.

Dwyane Wade attended a WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun with his wife Gabrielle Union and their daughter Kaavia where his name was spelled incorrectly on the jumbotron. Li-Ning, the company behind his signature shoe, was apparently getting used to Wade’s uniqueness as well, as they weren’t even able to spell his first name on an. The team apparently knew there was a misplaced “y” somewhere in his first name but just happened to place it in the wrong spot.

Despite being the face of the Miami Heat for over a decade, it appears the team still doesn’t know how to spell his name right. Wade attributes the uncommon spelling of his and his father’s first name to his grandmother, who already had two children when she married Wade’s father.