"The status of Dwyane Wade's real job is decidedly uncertain.

Nonetheless, the rest of his business seems to be booming.

Wade spent much of this week in New York at what he and his team call the "Brand Wade Summit," during which the Miami Heat star and partners like Gatorade, Jordan Brand, Hublot watches and other companies get together for a series of meetings about where they've been - and, most importantly, where they're going next.

Even with the NBA lockout going strong, Wade's off-court deals are doing just fine as well.

"It's taken on a whole other life," Wade said in a telephone interview at the end of Wednesday's summit session. "It's something that not only we look forward to, but the partners look forward to it every year. It's become like one of those annual retreats where you can't wait to sit down and get to business."

Broke when he entered the league eight years ago, Wade is now believed to make more in off-court earnings than in on-court salary, which was about $14 million alone this past season. His portfolio is steadily growing, with Wednesday marking the launch of a product he's involved with called Court Grip, something designed to keep players from slipping on basketball courts.

"I think it's going to change the game of basketball," Wade said."