Dwyane Wade kicked off an eventful weekend on Saturday at the WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago, where he attended with wife Gabrielle Union and daughters Zaya Wade, 19, and Kaavia James Union Wade, 7.
After the game, Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese stopped to greet the family and chatted with Kaavia before surprising her with the newly released Barbie Signature Role Models Angel Reese Doll.
Wade shared a video of the interaction on social media and praised Reese for the example she is setting for young fans.
“Role Models are important,” he wrote.
The family then traveled to Robbins, Illinois, on Sunday, where Wade was honored with a permanent street naming in the community where he grew up.
As part of the town’s first Dwyane Wade Day celebration, South Claire Boulevard was officially renamed Dwyane Wade Boulevard.
Speaking during the ceremony, Wade reflected on what the honor meant to him.
“I’ve traveled the world, I’ve played in front of thousands, I’ve won championships, I’ve experienced moments that I could never dream of,” he said. “But standing here today, being here, seeing familiar faces, being on the same street that I ran up and down—it just feels different.”
Afterward, the former NBA star shared photos of himself and his dad holding the new street sign.
“Yesterday was bigger than me! It wasn’t about a name on a boulevard—it was about every dream that started on that street, and every dream that’s still walking it. From Robbins Illinois…,” he captioned the post.
Wade grew up in Robbins. His father introduced him to basketball by taking him to play in local high school gyms and watching Michael Jordan’s Come Fly With Me on VHS.
For the 13-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion, the ceremony was a full-circle moment. It honored his roots and the impact he has continued to have on the community that helped shape him long before he became an NBA champion and Hall of Famer.
