Slade grew up in Montevallo, AL, in the heart of Shelby County. He graduated in a class of 98 students from Montevallo High School and went on to put himself through college on a full basketball scholarship at the University of Montevallo, earning a B.S. degree in Commercial Design and Business. Slade attended the Enon Baptist Church in Calera, AL and was baptized in Mahan Creek on the outskirts of Montevallo.