NBA star Dwyane Wade publicly addressed that his 15-year-old daughter is transgender after she was pictured wearing false nails and a cropped top.
And now the star is making a big move…
Previously, this sparked a hugely controversial debate where everyone seemed to put their two pence into the ongoing drama…
But now the basketball star has vowed to change things up by making a grand decision.
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The 40-year-old NBA champion was born and bred in Chicago.
He is the second of 2 children to JoLinda and Dwyane Wade Sr.
His mother already had 2 children when she married Dwayne’s father…
His parents split up when Dwayne was just 4 months old and his mother was given custody of him and his other brothers.
Although, Dwayne’s mother struggled with drug addiction and often committed crimes…
Dwayne turned to basketball and football, to avoid the temptations of drugs and gangs when his mother was imprisoned for her crimes.
According to some reports, Dwayne spent much of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
And even credits his sister Tragil as the person most responsible for pointing him in the right direction at the time.
But now, the NBA star has got a family of his own.
And he has a pretty big family too…
He has 2 sons with his ex-wife, Siohvaughn Funches, he is raising his nephew who is the son of his sister, Deanna, and he also has a son and a daughter from 2 other relationships.
Dwayne met Gabrielle Union at a Super Bowl party in 2007…
But didn’t actually go public as a couple for another two years.
In August 2014, the couple tied the knot…
And it was onwards and upwards from then on…
As the couple announced that they had a child through IVF.
In an interview in September 2021, Gabrielle revealed to the Daily Mail how heartbroken she was after she found out she was unable to have a baby easily.
“The experience of Dwyane having a baby so easily—while I was unable to—left my soul not just broken into pieces, but shattered into fine dust scattering in the wind,” she said.
But later Gabrielle posted snaps on Instagram of her beautiful family celebrating Thanksgiving, which included Dwyane with his son Zion, Gabrielle, and their baby Kaavia James Union Wade — and it was pretty adorable.
“Grateful… Happy Thanksgiving good people. To all the friends and family that have my back and all the friends and family, I’ve never met who show love and support when everyone is looking and when no one is looking…All praise, gratitude, and thankfulness,” she wrote.
But one particular photograph grabbed eyeballs and soon the photo went viral on social media.
In the photo, his son Zion is pictured wearing false pointy nails and a cropped top, which is not a big deal at all, but people have certainly made it into one.
And the comments started pouring in…
“Nails done and a crop top, where is this child’s biological mother,” said one user.
And that’s not all, as some even questioned why Dwayne’s son was “dressing like a girl.”
“Why does his son have his nails done and dressed like a girl?” they wrote.
Some people are clearly forgetting what era we’re living in…
As people can dress in whatever they please, regardless of gender.
And be referred to in non-binary terms as well.
So when the comments got a bit too much, Dwayne decided to address them publicly himself.
And he was not having any of it…
“I’ve seen some post-thanksgiving hate on social about my family photo. Stupidity is apart of this world we live in – so I get it. But here’s the thing – I’ve been chosen to lead my family not y’all. So we will continue to be us and support each other with pride, love & a smile,” he wrote on Twitter.
He even took the time to reply to one fan, as he backed his beloved child.
“As a parent, my only goal is that my kids feel that I see them, love them, and support them,” he said.
But his fans made sure to shower their favorite sports star with love after his heartfelt tweet.
“Shout out D. Wade for setting the example of a Black father loving and accepting their children as they are. There’d be a lot less trauma in our community if more Black dads were like this,” one fan wrote.
And it’s not the first time the star has spoken about his daughter’s identity…
As previously, Dwayne confirmed and addressed his daughter’s desire to change on The Ellen Show and said that Zaya had begun using she/her pronouns.
“Our (then)-12-year-old … came home and said, ‘Hey, I want to talk to you guys’ then asked to be called, Zaya,” he said.
“We’re just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self,” he said.
And now the NBA champ has turned heads yet again with his next move…
The multi-millionaire athlete recently admitted he is stunned by his daughter’s confidence…
And even said she isn’t afraid of saying who she is.
“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…My daughter, at 8 years old, had the confidence to say, ‘This is who I am. This is who I want to be,'” he said.
But he also reflected that, as a parent, he still worries about his daughter’s safety.
“As blessed as it is for my daughter to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves the house. And not just because of gun violence, but because of the way people perceive her in this world,” he said.
Following his daughter’s choice to change, Dwayne confessed he’s taking a big step in the right direction and expects lawsuits to work with him to make the big change happen.
“To me, it’s a joke. This is our life. We live this. When you’re out there making rules, if you’re not experiencing this, come and live a day with my daughter. Come and see how it is to walk through this world as her,” he told TIME Magazine.
Legal documents, obtained by The Blast, reveal Dwayne has asked a Los Angeles County Court judge to make the transition official and change his child’s name from Zion Malachi Airamis Wade to Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade.
What do you think?