The Dreams Dwyane Wade Once Had for His Daughter Zaya in Basketball Before Her Transition

Former NBA star, Dwyane Wade, has revealed his aspirations of his daughter Zaya pursuing a basketball career, following in his footsteps.

Before Zaya, now 16, came out as transgender at age 12, Wade couldn’t envision a world where they wouldn’t be playing basketball together.

Allowing Zaya to make her own choices and grow into the person she wants to be, he realized something better: to “meet his child.”

‘I have Zaya. LeBron has Bryce. Melo has Kiyan. All within a 2 to 3 week span,’ Wade told Shannon Sharpe on the Club Shay Shay podcast. ‘All our kids gonna grow up hooping together. “Oh we on! Boy we gonna have 3 babies! We on!”

‘You couldn’t tell me that we wouldn’t be on the circuit right now, baby! We hooping,’ he added.

Reflecting on Zaya coming out as transgender at 12, Wade, 41, remarked: ‘See what happens when you start making plans for other people’s lives?’

Zaya, 16, is the youngest of the retired NBA player’s two children from his first marriage to his high school sweetheart Siohvaughn Funches. He also shares son Zaire, 21, with her.

Additionally, Wade has son Xavier, nine, with Aja Metoyer, and daughter Kaavia, four, with his wife Gabrielle Union, 50.

Asserting that Zaya’s life is her journey, Wade stated: ‘Then, I got to meet my child. And a lot of people like to talk about Zaya’s transition, but to me, Zaya hasn’t transitioned into anything.’

‘She’s but a kid, and now becoming a young adult,’ he continued. ‘I’ve watched her go through life. There hasn’t been any transition for us.

‘There’s been a transition for the world, but for us, I see the same kid that I’ve seen since May 29, 2007. Nothing has changed,’ he expressed.

Zaya, on the other hand, looks up to her father, expressing to Harper’s Bazaar last month: ‘My dad is who truly inspires me the most.

‘Kids always tend to look up to their parents, but not only did I idolize him growing up and see him as a real person, I realize that he has played such an essential role in supporting me and the ways I choose to present myself to the world.’

‘He’s been so supportive and my biggest advocate. He took the time and learned and grew. I want to have that same mentality going through anything in life,’ she added.

Being the daughter of a famous dad and stepmom has given Zaya a platform to advocate for trans people.

‘Coming out is such a big change. It’s hard to navigate. We’ve all really learned more about each other and the way we can coexist and grow together in this crazy world, especially in the public eye,’ she observed.

‘It’s like a spotlight is always on you. At the end of the day, though, we are a family, and we support and love each other and we are grateful,’ she concluded.

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