Siohvaughn Funches made a public demonstration in the streets of Chicago on Friday to bring attention to her financial struggle with ex-husband Dwyane Wade, who she claims owes her large amounts of money.
Funches sat down outside the Daley Center in Chicago holding a sign that said “NBA Miami Heat Star Mother of His Children On the Streets.” Funches told 89 WLS in Chicago that she is on the streets because her ex-husband owes her money and will not pay unless she agrees to a gag order (audio of the interview here).
“This is the issue: he owes me quite a large sum of money,” Funches told the 89 WLS Sports Pregame Show. “There was an order in place that he would have to give me money. That order also called for the endorsement companies — Gatorade, Staples, T-Mobile, all of the endorsement companies that he has — to make a direct deposit into an agreed upon account. He hasn’t complied with that order, and neither have those endorsement companies made a direct deposit. That went on for years, so I took care of myself and our two children purely living off of savings. The savings dwindled down. I was advised by my lawyer to find a bankruptcy attorney.”
[Photos: Dwyane Wade’s ex-wife acting homeless on Chicago streets]
This claim from Funches isn’t exactly new; The Chicago Tribune recently reported that she was suing Wade for over $1 million over his endorsement money, though she supposedly dropped the suit.
Not only does Funches say she was advised to look into bankruptcy, but she also claims to be poor.
“I went into the court room and I asked the judge, ‘please, let’s just settle this matter. Because if I’m destitute, I can’t be a mother.”
Funches says the money she has received from Wade is not enough to live off of.
“For several years in a row, I got nothing. Nothing at all. There was a judge who gave me enough to pay my tuition, so in theory, I got $10,000 one time for example. But then I had to go pay my tuition off. So what did I have after that? I still owed a couple grand.”
[Related: Dwyane Wade responds on Instagram to ex-wife’s shenanigans]
Though Funches wants money from her ex-husband, she is conflicted; she says she wants the money but does not want to sign away her right to speak.
“I’m out on the streets right now because we can’t reach any sort of agreement. I asked the judge: I don’t want any money, I don’t want anything from Mr. Wade. All I want is my freedom and my voice. Dwyane Wade is saying he will not give me the money that he is court-ordered to pay me and owes me, unless I agree to not say what happened to me or the children. I have to in other words be gagged.
“I can’t say what happened with the judge because I won’t be able to talk about my life and what I’ve been through unless I want to owe more than just live in poverty. You keep your voice, but you’re going to be in poverty. If you want any money to get out of this debt and the hole I buried you in, then you’re never going to be able to speak about the truth and what happened.
“I told them very clearly: my voice is not for sale. Like Tina Turner did, all she wanted was her name. I told the judge all I want is my freedom and my voice. I want Mr. Wade to leave me alone, he can keep his money.”
The whole thing is maddening. What story does Funches have to tell? She’s talking right now and not really saying anything. She just sounds like a raving lunatic. If she really is so hard up for cash, why not just agree to a gag order? Based on how crazy she sounds, a gag order would probably in her best interest.
