Last month, newly-acquired Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade and his family suffered a tragedy with the death of his first cousin, who was shot while pushing a stroller in downtown Chicago.

Still mourning the loss of a family member, the three-time NBA champion spoke to nearly 200 seniors at Urban Prep High School in Chicago. He shared the hardships he encountered while growing up, seeing his mom struggle with drug addiction. The Illinois native also proudly told the students how he overcame all of that.

Dwyane Wade's message

Per CBS 2’s Dorothy Tucker, Wade revealed what it was like for him growing up near Chicago.

“When I grew up it was all about gangs and drugs. My mom was addicted to everything, and that was hard for me as a young kid, I would watch my mom shoot up.”

“I can’t wait to get older to get my mom out of here. Isn’t that what you all think?”

Not only did Wade's mom beat her addiction, she even became a pastor. Now she also serves as a motivational speaker and tries to help women who are going through the same struggles with addiction that she faced. They recently opened a small community named after Wade's grandmother to continue their cause.

Close to home

The Marquette product admitted that the recent violence around the country is very tough. He has openly spoken in the past to end is and is one of the influential NBA players, using his social media accounts as a tool.

“It’s tough, when things hit close to home, it gets real.”

Wade's message and advice to young, black men of today is simple. But coming from him, a person who went through a lot in his early days, it serves as living proof that it's not impossible to be overcome and find success.

Dwyane Wade also vows to continue to play his best on the court and make a difference to their city:

“We get knocked down, but we get back up.”