Miami Heat President Pat Riley, team superstar Dwyane Wade and retired Heatster Alonzo Mourning at the Miami Children's Hospital Gala (Michele Sandberg/Special to Page2Live)

The sideshow of Dwyane Wade making it sorta official that he’s dating C-list actress Gabrielle Union didn’t distract from the true nature of Friday’s fund-raiser for the famed Miami Children’s Hospital, a traditional kickoff of SoFla’s social season.

More than 400 well-heeled South Floridians plunked down $1,000-per for the black tie at the Biltmore Hotel. They watched Wade getting inducted into the hospital’s Hall of Fame for his work with children. And they heard Oprah Winfrey protege Charice, a 17-year-old singer, perform in a voice that puts Whitney Houston’s to shame.

Hard to believe, but the gala was scaled down from last year, when the party on the floor of the AmericanAirlines Arena in downtown Miami featured pop superstar Beyonce.

Still, the guest list this time around wasn’t too shabby. It included Miami Heat head honcho Pat Riley and retired Miami Heat tall-head Alonzo Mourning, who flashed a photo of his month-old son Alijah to anyone who’d offer congratulations.

Organizers already knew they wouldn’t be able to equal last year’s loot, a SoFla-record $12 million. But they tried hard, with clever things like the $1,000 lemonade glass (Frangelico, Stoli, lemonade — and a diamond).

For a slew of pictures of the gala by Michele Sandberg, look below

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Ball chairman Juan Carlos Mas and wife Vivian

Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade and his mistress, C-list actress Gabrielle Union, have tried desperately to keep their relationship a secret, but this week has been a coming out party of sorts for them.

Either that, or they’re getting careless.

First, the lovebirds were spotted in full on canoodles in a private club level suite at Land Shark Stadium during Monday Night Football, and missed long stretches of an epic game.

Then last night, although she sneaked in through the back door, Wade took Union to the yearly Miami Children’s Hospital gala — one of Miami’s biggest social rendez-vous of the year.

Wade and Union at Friday's Miami Children's Hospital gala (Michele Sandberg/Special to Page2Live)

Wade and Union, who has a recurring role in the ABC scifi series FlashForward, giggled like school kids at the table of Miami philanthropist Juan Carlos Mas. They held hands under the table, when Wade didn’t rest his left paw on her lap or sneak an occasional peck.

Wade later in the evening pronounced himself honored to be inducted in the famed hospital’s hall of fame.

Who gets in?

Wade and Union at Friday's Miami Children's Hospital gala (Michele Sandberg/Special to Page2Live)

“People who have gone above and beyond for children,” said the hospital’s VP for marketing, Jamie Holt.

Wade joins in the hall the likes of songbird Beyonce, legendary University of Miami QB Jim Kelly and actress Kelly Preston (John Travolta’s missus).

Holt tells me Wade, who obviously forgot his dinner jacket on his way to the black-tie, first came on the fund-raisers’ radars two years ago. As Wade nursed a serious injury, he quietly spent hours watching Heat basketball on television with ill children treated at the facility. Holt also cited Wade’s own charity for at-risk children, Wade’s World, as another reason for his induction.

“I was floored when I was picked,” Wade said. “A lot of people helped me when I was growing up. Helping children is in my DNA.”

Wade’s nasty divorce from wife Shiovaughn, by the way, is still pending in a court in the couple’s native Chicago. Allegations in the case include that last season’s top scorer hasn’t been seeing much of his own three young boys and repeatedly cheated on Shiovaughn. Wade is also entangled in a legal battle with a business partner who claims he rented a pad in Miami Beach for Wade where sex parties took place.

Wade's publicist, Lisa Joseph, try to hide what the world knows (Michele Sandberg/Special to Page2Live)

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Update: Marc Anthony was introduced as the Miami Dolphins newest minority owner in New York this morning. In addition to his plunking down his and JLo’s hard-earned cash, he gets to sing the national anthem at the Oct. 12 Monday night home game.

We knew that Palm Beacher Stephen Ross, the new owner of the Miami Dolphins, has some sort of obsession with celebrities, but it’s getting ridiculous.

Word is that Ross, one of the country’s largest land developers, is trying to sell a piece of the football franchise to Miami Beach salsero Marc Anthony.

Like BFFs, Anthony and Ross arrive at Thursday's Univision Premios Juventud awards in Coral Gable

Whether Ross succeeded is unclear. Sources are playing it close to the vest. But Ross is wheeling out Anthony for a press conference in New York City Tuesday. There’s supposed to be a “major” announcement.

How major? Major enough to have NFL commish Roger Goodell sitting in.

For much more, including what else Ross may be up to, and the poll, look below or click (Read more…)

Dwyane Wade on the red carpet of the Summer Groove Friday night

The Summer Groove, a weekend long charity wingding thrown every year by Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade and Heat retiree Alonzo Mourning, is in full swing.

In addition to a celebrity ball game with the likes of Lebron James Sunday evening at the Triple A downtown Miami, the duo has come up with a full schedule of goodies, including a $500-a-head gala dinner tonight at the Seminole Hard Rock.

And Friday night, Cedric The Entertainer had Groove goers in stitches at the event’s comedy show, also at the Hollywood casino/resort.

For more Storms Media Group photos of Friday night’s red carpet arrivals, including Wade galpal Gabrielle Union, look below or click (Read more…)

Jackson

– Country music star Alan Jackson plans on moving permanently into his new Jupiter Island home, according to this story on the country website The Boot. Jackson, 50, is putting his mansion in suburban Nashville up for sale. Price: $38 million! Jackson plans on moving south once his three daughters, Mattie, 18, Alexandra, 15, and Dani, 11, are on their own. “We like living in Florida and we probably will do that when the girls are not living with us anymore,” Jackson said. Jackson has owned an ocean-front property on the southern edge of the Martin County town since 2002. Two years ago, he had the old home leveled. He then built an 8,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style villa. He moved in earlier this year. Jackson, the mustachioed singer of Chattahoochee, has been known to spend weeks at a time in the area. When he’s not deep-sea fishing, he may hop on the stage of the local honky-tonk bar, The Square Grouper, for an impromptu show.

– Developer Bob Matthews‘ financial trouble didn’t end with his departure from Palm Beach for the summer. He’s already the proud owner of the largest deliquent property tax bill in Palm Beach County (more than $280,000 on his $15.8 million home). Now an old hotel in Nantucket, Mass., on which Matthews pinned his hopes for the future is in foreclosure. According to the island’s Nantucket Independent, TD Banknorth initiated the proceedings after calling its $40.5 million construction loan to Matthews. Matthews has been trying to rebuild the place into a luxury Mar-a-Lago-style club, Point Breeze.

D Wade and friend (Courtesy Wireimage.com)

– Miami Heat retiree Alonzo Mourning and his charity-fundraising sidekick Dwyane Wade have gathered an impressive crop of NBA stars for their celebrity Summer Groove basketball game July 12 at Miami’s Triple A. Happy to find a game he can win, Cleveland Cavaliers attraction Lebron James has RSVP’ed. Others: Denver’s Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin; Atlanta’s Zaza Pachulia; Houston’s Aaron Brooks; and New Orleans’ Chris Paul and James Posey. The Groove raises big $ every summer for inner city projects in Miami.

The Prez

– It’s pretty obvious Prez Barack Obama doesn’t read Page2Live. Well, I’m sure saving the economy takes up most of his time. But still, had he read this story and this one, he’d probably think twice about inviting Heat superstar Dwyane Wade to the White House for the Father’s Day wingding this weekend. Now, I know Obama and the Olympic hero share some of the same background, both being from Chicago and all. But should someone accused by his wife of cheating and ignoring their kids really be at an event that’s about family?

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– Here’s a shocker! Part-time Miami Beach resident Billy Joel and his much, much, much younger third wife are splitsville. The pianoman, 60, and chef Katie Lee, 33 years younger, were hitched four years ago. The singer of A Matter of Trust reportedly was getting steamed about Lee spending more time with a heterosexual fashion designer instead of drinking wine with him at home . . .

– And three major sports figures with local ties made it into Forbes magazine’s 20 highest-paid athletes. Those who didn’t make at least $30 million from salaries and commercial endorsements last year didn’t need to apply. No. 1 is soon-to-be Jupiter Island resident Tiger Woods. The golfer made $110 million, despite the injury that kept him off the courses for months. At No. 2, proud Rachel’s patron and NBA Hall-of-Famer Michael Jordan, who owns property at The Bears Club in Jupiter, made $45 million. He hasn’t played an official game in six years. And Yankees slugger Alex Roid-riguez, who lives in Miami in the off-season, clocked in at No. 13, with a mere $32 million . . .

No wonder Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade seems distracted at times this playoff season.

Rumors that his paramour, actress Gabrielle Union, recently was or currently is expecting his lovechild have been dogging Wade – this, as he fights through a nasty divorce with his high school sweetheart.

While Union, 36, denied it on a black entertainment website – “I love my margaritas too much,” she said – I’m told Wade’s soon-to-be-ex wife, Siohvaughn, went ballistic when Wade, 26, told her about the new baby. Especially since Siohvaughn accused the NBA’s top scorer in court documents of not taking care of the two rug rats they have together.

Does this woman look pregnant? (Courtesy Maxim online)

Siohvaughn told one of Olympic hero Wade’s former business partners in Fort Lauderdale that she was convinced Union was with child. Siohvaughn, who isn’t talking directly with the press after Wade filed a lawsuit in their hometown of Chicago demanding that she keep her mouth shut, also said Wade later claimed the pregnancy announcement was an “april fool’s joke.”

For more, and our poll, click (Read more…)

In light of the accusations levelled against Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade this week by a former business partner, what do you think about the formerly squeaky-clean hoopster?

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Update: I requested a press pass from the Miami Heat for Tuesday’s game against Denver. I told Heat officials I wanted to talk to Dwyane Wade after the game to give him a chance to defend himself. Response from the team: No way, Jose!

A former business partner of Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade is telling Page2Live that he saw remnants of sex parties at a Miami Beach apartment used by the married Wade and his entourage.

What’s more, says Euro blue-blood Baron Richard Von Houtman, he witnessed on two occasions Wade puffing away on marijuana cigarettes, once with a teammate.

D. Wade and Richard Von Houtman in happier times

And in 2007, Von Houtman made sure an embarrassing traffic accident that Wade caused in his Maybach would be kept hush-hush.

Wade’s publicist, Lisa Joseph, e-mailed this statement Monday afternoon: “It’s a shame that a disgruntled former business associate is peddling these fairy tales to fit his own personal agenda.”

(Read more…)

He’s having a hall-of-fame season on the basketball court.

But off the shiny parquet, Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade kicked open the gates of the hall-of-shame: He’s facing accusations that he infected his soon-to-be-ex wife with a sexually transmitted disease.

And that may cost him his feel-good endorsement gig.

Several sources tell me Wade’s partners in a SoFla-based chain of charter schools for dropouts originally named for the flashy point guard are rethinking their association with him.

Wade’s name recently disappeared from the company logo, which used to read Mavericks High D. Wade’s Schools.

Now, it’s just Mavericks High.

And the Olympic hero is nowhere to be found on the Web site of the parent company, Mavericks in Education.

“They’re going to get rid of Dwyane but it’s not public yet,” said one source who asked not to be identified.

(Read more…)