“She’s the strong one in this family. She’s a hero,” said Dwyane Wade, talking about his daughter Zaya, who had to make the biggest decision of her life at age 12. Originally Zion, Zaya had realized something was different about her. And Wade, having become a first-hand witness to the realization—at eight years old, Zaya had described herself as gay in a school assignment—“prepared” to have the inevitable talk someday in the future. That day came four years later…

“Zaya, our 12-year-old, came home — I don’t know if everyone knows, originally named Zion; Zion, born as a boy — came home and said, ‘Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward, and I’m ready to live my truth. And I want to be referenced as she and her. I’d love for you guys to call me Zaya’,” Wade recalled. But reaching there wasn’t easy for the young child.

She was visibly terrified to break the news to her father. The NBA icon vividly remembers Zaya (then Zion) hiding behind his step-mother Gabrielle Union. That admittedly broke his heart, and led him to rethink how his “masculinity” made him so emotionally distant from his own children. “And so I had to check myself…because maybe I ain’t what I think I am. I haven’t done what I think. I had to go look at myself in the mirror and ask myself: Why was my child scared? Scared to tell me something about herself?”

As soon as the realization hit, Wade, along with Union, outworked and educated themselves to figure out the best ways to support Zaya and her transition. But, while Zaya is blessed with a supporting pop and step-mother, the same cannot be said about her biological mother and D-Wade’s ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches—she even took them to court. But more on that later as…

For now, Wade is up for a social cause to support his daughter through the challenges she faces. In a post by the Nonprofit Organization The Elevate Prize Foundation, ‘Father Prime’ had his wisdom penned down: “In This Country, [As a Trans Person] You’re in a constant battle to justify your right to simply exist. And as a parent, it is my job to protect and support my child to exist in this world freely.” 

While sharing this excerpt from his speech, the organization wrote: “Holding @dwyanewade’s words close to our hearts this #TransRemembranceDay. 💛  This past May, we were deeply proud to honor NBA Hall of Famer (and Miami legend!) with the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award in recognition of his advocacy for the transgender community. Live on stage at our #MakeGoodFamous Summit, he also announced the launch of @translatableproject, a safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth to express themselves and a resource hub for our parents, families, and support systems. His tireless dedication to the trans community and racial justice inspires us every day. May we all love our children as Dwyane does!”

The words took an emotional toll on Zaya Wade as she shared it on IG story with“🥺🥺🥺.” While this honor and the $250,000 funding that comes with it helps Dwyane Wade to implement LGBTQIA+ community support through ‘Translatable‘, the journey so far was tough for the Wade family with criticisms around the corner.

For starters, the family had to move to California from Chicago. In the retired veteran’s own words: “I mean, obviously, the tax [situation] is great. Having Wade County is great. But my family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there. And so that’s one of the reasons why I don’t live there.” And then who can forget the whole controversy with Funches?

The move that legalized Zaya’s name and gender didn’t sit right with Wade’s ex-wife, as she went on to make some public claims, giving rise to intense controversy.

The biological mother and her claims

Zaya, with an older brother Zaire, are the two children the Hall of Famer had with Funches-Wade in his 5 year-long wedlock between 2002 and 2007. After the divorce, a legal battle of about four years let Wade have custody of the children. The Heat icon calls her an “absent parent” despite being given opportunities to connect with their children. However, she had a strong stand since Zaya came out as trans. 

This made her file a petition against Wade’s petition for name and gender change in November 2022, stating: “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.” Holding this stand alongside possible peer pressure from the nature of her life, Funches fought to restrain Wade’s petition until her daughter turned 18. 

“I will not sit on my hands this time and allow her to make a mockery of my dedication to my family,” D-Wade was reported to have said amidst this in-and-off-court fight. Wade also posted a lengthy message on Instagram, writing, “I’ve received a social media post about me forcing our 15 year old child to be someone she’s not and to do something against her will. These are serious and harmful allegations that have hurt our 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[s] ways of centering herself and HER needs, without regard to her children.”

However, all’s well that ends well, and  D-Wade got his way through court, eventually leading him to support not just his children, but all the others like Zaya.