Gabrielle Union is in a position millions of people around the world can relate to. Her father, Sylvester Union, suffers from dementia. Everyone in the world with children has bittersweet feelings regarding this illness. Union is one of them. The WHO stated that over 55 million people have dementia worldwide and at least 18% of them are males. So, on the occasion of Father’s Day, Union revealed her gratitude for the memories she’s made with her father and saw his condition as a reminder to cherish more memories. These precious memories include Dwyane Wade and his dad, too.

Union paid a special tribute to her dad that others with parents ailing from the same condition can draw hope from. “As my Dad’s dementia progresses, I’m left with nothing but gratitude for what a great father I have and all the memories he still remembers,” she wrote on X with a collection of Sylvester’s pictures.

The pictures also featured D-Wade with his wife, along with a few family snaps. Wade’s friendship with his father-in-law was visible even in a picture, something Gab adores. “The importance of the relationship between my Dad and my husband @DwyaneWade , as men and mostly certainly as fathers who cherish their children, is one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received.”

She also has a similar friendship with Dwyane Wade Sr. as she wrote, “I’m also grateful for the gift of my father-in-law and the care with which he takes with my Dad and his son. Happy Father’s Day to all who celebrate and massive hugs for those suffering on this day.”

The photographs illustrate Union’s need to celebrate all the memories she’s created with her family, especially her father. Sylvester Union is a military veteran who served as a sergeant. She was mostly raised by her mom, Theresa, probably due to her father’s career. Sylvester gets along with Dwyane but in an old Father’s Day post during Gabrielle and Dwyane’s early relationship, she admitted that he was a little protective of his daughter.

Her parents separated after 30 years of marriage and moved on with other partners. Union, a bonus mom to D-Wade’s older kids, credits her parents for showing her the grace and respect needed to make a blended family work.

She, however, rarely speaks about her father and his condition. This is one of the few moments she’s expressed how it feels to have a parent ailing from dementia. Having a supportive family is an obvious source of strength.

The cool dads of the Wade-Union fam get recognized

Wade and Union’s Father’s Day photo dump shows everything they’ve learned from Sylvester and Dwyane Sr. to keep a family together. The NBA dad himself showered his five kids (including his nephew, Dahveon, who he adopted) with love on social media. He also had a special tribute for his own dad who went through hardships to raise Dwyane and his siblings.

Miami Heat as a whole drew from D-Wade to honor dads everywhere. In August 2023, the 3x NBA champion made his Hall of Fame speech about his father and the team brought it back this Father’s Day. In the speech, Wade shared how Dwyane Sr. encouraged his hoop dreams and said he could never repay him for it.

Needless to say, Wade and Union left social media a little emotional on Father’s Day. But fans loved the reminder about why dads are plain awesome.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.