Dwyane Wade’s cancer revelation stunned the basketball world, but for his wife Gabrielle Union, the news struck a deeper chord. “It was tough for my wife,” Wade admitted, recalling how the diagnosis shook their world. During a candid chat on TODAY, he let it slip how heavy things got. “It was tough for my family and all my friends to see me in that capacity,” he said. But before things were tough, there already existed a scary scenario for the couple.

The Miami Heat icon was someone skeptical about spreading his news. He was afraid of appearing weak and vulnerable. So he struggled in silence while his family remained unaware. But little did he know it was only worsening things for Gab and their marriage.

“We talk about year nine and our marriage was so hard. And especially since he wasn’t divulging his cancer diagnosis at the time. So you come up with all sorts of scenarios,” the Bring It On actress admitted during her appearance on Sherri.

It has become well-known by now that Gab and Wade had their toughest year of marriage 9 years into it. After all the ups and downs, the near breakup, and the surrogacy, it was their 10th anniversary that had them admitting, “We were kind of reminiscing how we got to even here.” We now know the reason the couple emphasized that. But when things were at their worst, the couple grew the strongest of their version. It was this moment that made them really tough and brought them close. That had Gabrielle restoring her belief and revisiting the vows.

Let me tell you, baby, money issues, moving, illness… when they say for better or for worse, for sickness and in health, whoo, it will literally bring you to the altar,” she added. “Luckily, he is cancer-free now, and it ultimately just brought us so close… Because we had to learn how to be vulnerable with each other…”

The very people Wade tried to shield had ended up being his unexpected strength. “They don’t know in that moment that they gave me so much strength that I didn’t know that you know, was capable of someone on the outside giving because I am so prideful,” he previously admitted. That raw honesty showed just how deeply his inner circle—especially Gab—held it down for him.

Still, during his surgery, Wade chose to be with someone else—not Gab. A special person, close to his heart, who he believed needed to be there.

Why did Dwyane Wade choose another person over Gabrielle Union?

When Dwyane Wade faced one of the scariest moments of his life, he didn’t turn to his wife for comfort—but to someone who’s been in his corner since day one. Back in 2023, as he battled stage 1 kidney cancer, Wade revealed on Hoda Kotb’s Making Space podcast that only one person could stay with him post-surgery. It wasn’t Gabrielle Union, who stood by him through everything—it was his dad, Dwyane Wade Sr. “I needed to have 40 percent of my kidney removed,” he said, and when the hospital only allowed one visitor, Wade had to make a tough call.

“I just thought about who I wanted to see in my most vulnerable state,” Wade shared. “And it was my dad.” Even though he hoped Gab would be the first face, he’d see when he woke up, in that raw, uncertain moment, he knew who he needed most. “I was probably as scared as I’ve ever been,” he admitted. “I need my dad.”

Interestingly, their bond was built on discipline. From a young age, Wade recalled waking up at 5 a.m. to iron his dad’s clothes. “He showed up,” Wade said. “He was militant… make your bed, wash the dishes.” That old-school parenting, surprisingly, laid the foundation for a rock-solid connection.

What’s more, it was Wade Sr.’s prostate cancer diagnosis that inspired Wade to get screened in the first place. “We started communicating more because this was part of our genetic genes,” he said. And when his own diagnosis came, it only made that bond deeper.

Ultimately, Wade summed it up simply: “He’s the guy, for me.”