Father-daughter connection! 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.
The actress has also been candid about learning more about Zaya’s gender identity. “It’s watching the love handle the hate that has been encouraging,” the We’re Going to Need More Wine author told Variety in May 2020. “We’re just loving and accepting our kids, which is not revolutionary. To some people it’s nuts. For those people who have spoken out so publicly against our family … I’m not standing on my own. The cavalry is arriving, and they are unafraid to stand in their truth and not be compromising when we look at right and wrong.”
Ahead of Pride in June 2022, Wade praised his daughter for her ability to be honest about her personal journey. “I went years without telling my chef that I don’t like cilantro on my burger — as an adult, it took me years to have the confidence to say that,” he said to CNN at the time. “My daughter, at 8 years old, had the confidence to say, ‘This is who I am. This is who I want to be.’”
That same month, the Illinois native applauded his child for her interest in helping others in the LGBTQIA+ community. “My family, we’re not celebrating [Pride]. Zaya made it very clear that she [doesn’t] want to celebrate Pride. I think every day for her, having a loving, supportive community around her is her celebratory moment,” he exclusively told Us Weekly. “But the biggest thing is my daughter said, ‘We want to be able to help other families.’ So throughout our foundations, we try to make sure we are helping the LGBTQIA+ community. That’s how we celebrate.”
In November 2022, Wade fired back at Funches after the business owner accused him of profiting off of Zaya’s gender identity. “I have concerns that [Dwyane] may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies, and will receive based upon [his] statements to me, on the basis of our child’s name and/or gender change,” the AWOW Women entrepreneur claimed in a court filing obtained by Us, referring to her ex-husband’s petition to legally change Zaya’s name.
The NBA player publicly refuted Funches’ allegations via Instagram, claiming that her “serious and harmful allegations” have “hurt” their children. “While none of us are surprised by Siohvaughn’s attempt to fight Zaya’s identity and her unwavering attempt to drag my name through the mud, I’m very disappointed that she continuously find ways of centering herself and HER needs, without regard to her children,” Wade wrote in November.
He continued: “All I ever wanted was to have my parenting time uninterrupted, as I knew that it would be a very difficult time for our kids to navigate their new normal. So Instead of actually trying to co-parent over the years, she’s left her home to see more lawyers and has taken the time to talk to more lawyers since I filed for divorce, than she’s left her home to actually see or have truly spoken and LISTENED to Zaya over all these years.”
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Scroll down for Wade’s most meaningful quotes about his bond with Zaya:
