Dwyane Wade’s Daughter’s Love For “Godfather” Udonis Haslem Revealed in Touching Tribute by Wife Gabrielle Union

The Wade family was present to celebrate the Miami Heat honoring the illustrious career of Udonis Haslem by retiring his jersey number 40 last night. This gesture was a fitting tribute to his contributions. Dwyane Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union have been with Haslem during the tough times. It was natural that the family would show up to support their friend at the ceremony. Haslem’s devoted fan and goddaughter Kaavia was also present at the event.

Tucked in the arms of her godfather and father, little Kaavia’s eyes were fixed on the jersey being raised to the rafters. Union shared the heart-touching moment with her 21.6 million Instagram followers on her Instagram Stories and wrote, “@Kaaviajames does not PLAY about @udo40.“

Back in 2018, Wade named his brother and teammate Haslem as his daughter Kaavia’s godfather just a month after her birth. The 5-year-old, along with her parents, was also present at Haslem’s last regular season game for Miami in April 2023. She wore a T-shirt with her godfather’s name and number.

UD had shared a heartwarming post after becoming her godfather in 2018, writing, “I promised her I’d always be present and say yes when her dad Dwyane Wade says no.” The 3x champion also shares a great relationship with Zaire and Zaya. Another snap shared on Union’s Instagram stories showed the bond between Wade and Haslem.

During their playing days, the two were teammates and now, after their retirement, they are brothers and continue to maintain their friendship and bond. As the oldest player in franchise history, Haslem has largely contributed to Heat culture and is the sixth player to get his jersey retired.

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Udonis Haslem was brought to tears on his special night

Not only working for the team, but Haslem has always been the massive force that leads the rest of the team members. “Udonis Haslem, his force mattered and it counted. And that’s one of the reasons why we’re hanging his jersey here today. Udonis Haslem is going to leave a very big footprint,” team President Pat Riley said.

The legend might have had huge dark glasses on his eyes but he could not hide his emotions. His speech had gotten the entire crowd emotional and said, “You all got the money on me crying, don’t y’all? I know you all think I’m going to cry. Yeah, it’s hard…It’s hard. Heat Nation, it’s been an absolute honor, man.”

Have you seen those heartwarming moments that are making rounds on the internet? Let us know in the comments section below.

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