A few weeks ago, CBS revealed that Dwyane Wade had undergone surgery in December to remove 40% of his kidney after doctors diagnosed him with cancer in 2023. But despite the battle, the NBA legend remained upbeat, even taking to Instagram to write, “My smile has never faded!” alongside a repost of the news. What kept that smile going?

Well, it was his family. Wade’s wife, Gabrielle Union, recently opened up about the toll his diagnosis took on their marriage. She described 2023 as a “very hard” year, admitting that facing one’s mortality in their early forties changes everything. “It takes a toll on your relationships,” she shared.

And Union made that clear. While reflecting on their journey, she acknowledged how difficult year nine of their marriage had been. “It was year nine of our marriage and… year nine was very hard,” she admitted during her appearance on Today with Jenna & Friends.

But even after the hardships, her commitment never wavered. She took to social media, reaffirming her love with a heartfelt message: “still the one ❤,” alongside a clip of her interview. Ans his proud husband D-Wade reshared it on his IG story.

Looking back, she now sees the full picture. “When you mention year nine being hard, he hadn’t revealed his cancer diagnosis and his own cancer journey, so now we can put it in more context,” Union, 52, explained. She reflected on how traumatic it was for Wade, questioning, “Am I going to be here to see my family? Who am I without this big life and without this healthy body?”

But through it all, Wade had his family to lean on. “You also don’t understand the journey and the toll that it takes on your marriage, on your family, on your kids,” Union said. Together, they navigated the storm, with their daughter Kaavia, Wade’s three children from previous relationships, and his nephew standing by his side. And that’s why his smile never faded—because he never had to fight alone.

Dwyane Wade found strength thanks to his family

It’s never easy to show vulnerability, especially for someone like Dwyane Wade. The Miami Heat legend admitted on The WY Network podcast, “As a man, you never want your family to see you weak… Don’t want to be perceived weak, don’t want to be seen in your weakest moments but I had to [be].” But in doing so, he found something even greater.

“In that process of my weakness, I found strength in my family, in my friends, in my group,” he shared on social media.

While he feared being seen as vulnerable, his wife made sure to remind the world that weakness was never part of his story. “Scary scary time for D and our family. I’m glad he was able to tell his story in HIS time in his own way. And NEVER weak. Ever,” Gabrielle Union wrote on Instagram.

Her message was loud and clear—Wade was a fighter. Their son, Zaire Wade, echoed the sentiment, dropping a heartfelt “love you” in the comments.

So, while Wade may have seen weakness, his family saw resilience. And that’s why he came out of the battle with a smile. As Gab put it, “It was a challenge. It was a challenge to give grace and receive it.” But with love and support, they made it through—together.