Dwyane Wade has been outspoken about how proud he is of his daughter Zaya’s growth through the years.
In February 2020, the professional basketball player announced that Zaya was transgender. “First of all, me and my wife, Gabrielle Union, we are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community, and we’re proud allies as well,” Wade said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, adding, “We take our roles and our responsibilities as parents very seriously.”
At the time, the athlete noted that it was the couple’s “job as parents to listen” to their children and to “give them the best information that we can, the best feedback that we can. And that doesn’t change because sexuality is now involved in it.”
Wade welcomed son Zaire in 2002 and daughter Zaya in 2007 with his ex Siohvaughn Funches. In 2013, the former NBA player became a dad to son Xavier, whom he shares with Aja Metoyer. After tying the knot with Union, the couple welcomed their daughter, Kaavia, via a surrogate in November 2018.
In November 2022, Wade fired back at Funches after she accused him of profiting off of Zaya’s gender identity, claiming that his ex’s “serious and harmful allegations” have “hurt” their children.
Scroll down for Wade’s most meaningful quotes about his bond with Zaya: