Life is short and can change suddenly. Perhaps, Dwyane Wade might have had the epiphany at the end of 2023. After his retirement, the basketball legend had been more dedicated than ever to his business, career, family, and kids. But before stepping into 2024, he had to face a shocking truth. He was diagnosed with cancer. DWade underwent surgery and lost part of his kidney to treat it. However, he didn’t lose hope or the opportunity to fight back and inspire others.

Wade has been more active than ever in 2024. He has been involved in several inspiring projects, been a fully supportive dad to his kids, and received the highest honor one can in the basketball world. And the best thing that happened after Wade’s surgery when he reached the Oscars at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

Dwyane Wade’s movie Oscar-nominated 

Wade is the first former Marquette player to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. His Oscar nomination added another feather to his cap. For his work as an executive producer on The Barber of Little Rock. The champ was nominated in the Best Documentary Short category at the 2024 Academy Awards. 

Although he lost to The Last Repair Shop, Wade’s film was still a significant achievement for the basketball legend. Speaking of his nomination, the basketball legend once shared his experience of how it was a cool moment when he shared the news with his daughter, Zaya. He said, “And I shared with her that it was Barber of Little Rock, and she said, ‘Wait a minute. My friends have been talking about it. They’ve watched it, they’ve seen it.”

“So that was a cool moment to be able to let my daughter know that I’m on that side of the world, and we’re telling some, and highlighting some really cool stories that are meaningful and impactful,” he further added. 

His inspiration was Kobe Bryant, who became the first NBA player to win an Oscar, followed by Shaquille O’Neal and Stephen Curry. Moreover, Wade hasn’t given up yet. There may come a time when he takes home an Oscar. There was another massive achievement that Wade made last year. 

Dwyane Wade’s stunning display at the Olympics!

After his retirement and now that Wade has a thriving business empire, nothing stopped him from trying something new. He took up the job of commentator for the coverage of the Olympics basketball for NBC. Having won bronze and a gold medal, he has experience of what goes on there at the moment.

Moreover, he had a refreshing touch to his commentary which was received with both praise and criticism. This has also brought in hopes on whether Wade will join the NBC team when it gets back in action in 2025. 

Well, the hectic year didn’t stop Wade from celebrating it with his family members. He was often spotted with his wife Gabrielle Union and his kids. He was seen vacationing in Europe in 2024. There are several wholesome photos of the family enjoying and living to the fullest in their individual social media handles.

Dwyane Wade gets honored with statue 

And the big moment was when the Miami Heat announced that the franchise will honor the 3x NBA champ with his statue. His entire family including Zaire, Zaya and his youngest daughter, Kaavia were present at the event.  The statue represented Wade’s most iconic “This is my house,” after the 48 point-performance.

“This is an artistic expression of a moment, one of the biggest moments of Miami Heat history, and I’m just in disbelief that I’m the one that’s chosen,” he said in a conversation with PEOPLE.

He further added, “I didn’t have anyone that I could look at and say, ‘Man, look at the success that this person in my family has had, and how do I get that?’ And so I’m just thankful for the generations of my family. I’m thankful for the fans and the supporters that I have.”

While the Miami Heat got heavily criticized for how the face of the statue was sculpted, Wade defended and argued that he is happy and satisfied with the statue. He has acheived all these in a year and fans are proud of the Heat legend. Naturally, it came as a shock when Wade spoke about his surgery.

Dwyane Wade talks about his cancer diagnosis

Speaking on The WY Network podcast, the 13× NBA All-Star revealed that he found out about his cancer during a check-up. He had not undergone a physical check-up since his playing days ended. However, since his father had struggled with prostate cancer, he decided to get checked. And during his full body check-up, the doctors discovered an issue in his right kidney. 

He had to undergo surgery, during which nearly 40% of his kidney was removed. During the conversation, he revealed that it was the toughest period of his life. “My own journey to have that surgery, I think it was the first time my family — my dad, my kids — they saw me weak. That moment was probably the weakest one I’ve ever felt in my life,” the Miami Heat legend said.  Since then, he has made it a point to live life to the fullest and make a positive impact.