Earlier this month, the daughter of superstar basketball player, Dwyane Wade, Zaya, came out as transgender and Wade has nothing but support for his child, encouraging her to reach for her “full potential,” letting her know that he and his family, which includes wife Gabrielle Union, “…got you no matter what.”
In an exclusive interview with People Magazine, Wade states that he does the same for all of his kids.
“As I’m raising [Zaya], as I’m raising my kids, you just try to put them in the best situations to be able to succeed in life,” he says in his interview. “How I do that, and how me and my wife decide to do that, may be different than another family, but we want them to know there’s always unconditional love, that it will always be support. We’ve got you, no matter what. And we see you. …I see you how you see you.”
The 38-year-old, as every parent, “…try[s] to put [his children] in the best situations to be able to succeed in life.”
In Wade’s documentary, D. Wade: Life Unexpected, the basketball legend opens up about the new journey that their family has embarked upon with Zaya’s transition. He states that being their for his daughter is an absolute no-brainer.
“I don’t put anything on [my kids] because of maybe the worldly view of how I’m ‘supposed’ to look at someone or what I think someone should be, because if I did that, then I wouldn’t be where I’m at today,” Wade states. “I think I’m lucky to have them and I think they’re lucky to have me.”
In his interview with the popular magazine, Wade goes on to say, “When a kid is born, they don’t come out with a pamphlet that’s like, ‘Okay, these are the directions for this kid,’ right? You just figure it out, and you try to help raise someone who’s good and kind and just characteristics that you want your kids to hopefully have. You’re afraid because you don’t want to mess up; you don’t want anything to happen to them. But I think, ultimately, we all have it inside of us to help lead someone.”
If you haven’t seen D. Wade: Life Unexpected, it premiered on ESPN. Make sure to On-Demand it and watch it for the first time or all over again. Wade is unquestionably making this parenting journey look effortless.
