Dwyane Wade Will Donate Game Check to Hurricane Sandy Relief Charities

Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade was a winner even though his team lost its game against the New York Knicks Friday night, 104-84. Wade had wanted to postpone the game because of Hurricane Sandy and will be donating his game check to relief efforts.

The Knicks' NBA season tipped off at Madison Square Garden in New York, despite the fact that many city residents are still without power. The Knicks were originally supposed to begin the season on Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets at the new Barclays Center, although that game was canceled.

Since then, New Yorkers have continued the recovery process following Hurricane Sandy. On Friday, the power was restored for most parts of Manhattan. Mass transit is slowly returning, with limited train service available in and out of that borough, and bus service restored in all five boroughs. Despite these improvements, there is still plenty of work to do, and that's why having any sort of large event such as an NBA has drawn criticism.

The recently canceled New York City Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, had received support from current Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Mayor Rudy Guiliani, but there were many, including politicians and other New York residents, who wanted the race canceled because of the manpower that would be redirected away from the recovery.

The area surrounding Madison Square Garden did not lose power due to Hurricane Sandy, and an NBA game inside an arena is a lot different from the New York City Marathon. Moreover, many trains are now stopping near 34th street, and the walk for NBA fans from their stations is rather short.

Wade may be playing for the defending NBA champion Miami Heat, but he loves New York and playing in the world's most famous arena. He took to Twitter to voice his concerns, saying, “We shouldn't B hre 2 play a basketball game when theirs so many families obviously still R affected by #Sandy” and “I luv playing in the garden but cnt do nothing but think abt all the families that dont have power,food,water etc..ths is a tragic hit 4 ths gr8 city.”

Wade is doing more than just paying lip service as he will be donating his $210,000 check for Friday's game to charities supporting the Hurricane Sandy relief effort.