MVP at Age 16: Dwyane Wade’s Daughter Zaya Makes a Strong Mark Amid Black History Month

Dwyane Wade‘s 16-year-old daughter Zaya is steadily becoming a star in her own right, and her courage and accomplishments are being admired by everyone. People magazine recently did a story on Black stars who are making history in the world and Zaya was named as part of the elite 8.

The 16-year-old shares this MVP honor alongside some of the biggest superstars in the game like Missy Elliott and SZA. Zaya is being honored for her work that helps the trans visibility.

Zaya came out in 2020 when she was 12 years old. Since then, her name has been synonymous with the movement. Her parents are incredibly proud of her and the courage she has shown despite knowing that there’ll be a huge uproar about her coming out. With the support of D-Wade and her mother Gabrielle Union, Zaya has thrived and has garnered support from people across the world. During a 2021 conversation with People, Wade said, “When Zaya was 3 years old, Gabrielle and I had that conversation about the possibilities. I come from a macho, male-dominated sport, but I started learning.”

While Wade confronted his own limited knowledge of the world and found compassion within himself for his daughter, Union did her part by arranging everything to Zaya’s comfort. She said, “Once she identified as trans, I reached out to everyone from Instagram and social media. They responded with love, resources, information. We don’t have all the answers, we’re going to mess up, but we’ve got to listen and be led.”

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Zaya helped Dwyane Wade become a “better human”

Wade and Union were honored with the NAACP Image Awards in 2023 for their work for the LGBTQ community. Upon receiving the award, the NBA veteran dedicated his speech to his daughter Zaya for helping him become a better human. He said, “I want to take this moment to publicly speak to our daughter, Zaya. Zaya, as your father, all I’ve wanted to do was get it right. I’ve sat back and watched how gracefully you’ve taken on the public scrutiny. And even though it’s not easy, I watched you walk out of the house every morning as yourself.”

Wade said that he admires the way she has managed to stay away from the outside noise and has been authentic and real the whole time. “Zaya, you’ve made me a better human just simply by being who you were born to be: our baby girl, Zaya Wade. So baby, thank you for showing the world what courage looks like,” Wade added.

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