Heat guard Wade takes stand in restaurant trial

May 21, 2010 - 10:35 PM By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer

MIAMI (AP) -- Dwyane Wade testified for the first time Friday at the trial where two ex-partners are suing him for $25 million in a failed restaurant deal, primarily explaining his relationship with best friend Marcus Andrews, who helped broker the ultimately flawed arrangement.

The Miami Heat star was called as the case's third witness. He spent about an hour on the stand before court broke for the weekend, and will be called back Monday morning for further questioning by plaintiff's attorney Richard Bales.

The bulk of the questions to Wade involved how his agent, Chicago-based Henry Thomas, had negotiated several successful deals for him both on and off the court, including sponsorships with T-Mobile, Converse, Lincoln, Gatorade, Topps and others. But in the restaurant deal, Wade relied on Andrews to help him make certain decisions, instead of having Thomas exclusively handle the deal.

The lawsuit involves the defunct plan over what was to be a chain of D. Wade's Place sports-themed restaurants. Plaintiffs Mark Rodberg and Lauren Hollander claim Wade breached a contract by demanding higher compensation than first agreed to, then abandoning the deal in 2008.

Wade says he's entitled to damages because Rodberg and Hollander used his likeness in ways he did not approve.

Wade and Andrews have been close since they were growing up as neighbors together in Chicago.

The restaurant deal was first mentioned to Andrews by Richard von Houtman - another now-scorned ex-business associate of Wade. The NBA guard has accused von Houtman of defaming him in e-mails to Heat president Pat Riley, and von Houtman has filed a countersuit to that.

Wade acknowledged he was intrigued by the original notion of a restaurant, but needed to learn much more before committing.

"I'm sure I told Mr. Andrews I needed more information," Wade said. "The biggest thing that I probably expressed to Mr. Andrews was to go back and get more information on what with these restaurants they wanted do to, what are they, what, where, how and all that. I needed more information than someone wanted me to do a restaurant."

In time, Wade collected that information, and the sides went ahead with the venture, which unraveled quickly.

The suit was filed in December 2008, alleging Wade Global Enterprises made "unjustifiable and unreasonable" demands such as a 30 percent ownership stake in the restaurant enterprise. The original deal called for Wade to receive a 10 percent stake, plus a guaranteed $1 million over the first five years of the arrangement, and Andrews a 2 percent share.