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Everything to Know about Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union and Their Family
The NBA legend will be joining the NBC broadcast team at the 2024 Paris OIympics.
NBA legend and former Olympic gold medalist Dwyane Wade is heading to Paris to join the NBC broadcast team as an analyst for Team USA’s men’s basketball during the upcoming Summer Games.
The announcement follows Wade’s retirement from professional basketball in 2019 after a career spanning 16 seasons. During his time in the NBA, Wade played primarily for the Miami Heat, where he achieved remarkable success, including winning three NBA championships and numerous All-Star selections.
But his life away from the court has also been the subject of much public fascination, especially his marriage to actress Gabrielle Union. Here's everything to know about their family life:
How did Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union meet?
After tying the knot in 2014 and welcoming their daughter Kaavia James Union Wade in 2018, Wade and actress Gabrielle Union have built a family together. They met at a Super Bowl party in 2007, where they were both tapped to co-host.
Union reminisced their first encounter at the party, joking to People about her husband's serious nature. “I stayed on one side of the room with my people. We like to party, and he doesn’t drink at all. He was on the other side of the room holding bible study.”
Their relationship blossomed nonetheless as they created a blended family, co-authored a children’s book, and more.
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Although Union never expected to have children, she told People that the love she has for her children inspired her first children's book, which she describes as a "love letter to every non-traditional family, including blended families. No matter how you became a new family, it is beautiful and real."
The couple has a daughter together named Kaavia James Union Wade. Dwyane also has three children from prior relationships: Zaire Blessing Dwyane Wade, Zaya Wade, and Xavier Zechariah Wade.
Zaire, 22, is following in Wade's footsteps, seeking to carve out a career as a professional basketball player. In October 2021, he reached a significant milestone when the Salt Lake City Stars drafted him as the No. 10 pick in the NBA G-League.
"He's in the driver's seat," Wade told People in 2020. "If basketball is the ultimate goal, then I'm just trying to help him along the way, understanding there's so many different ways to get to this goal."
Wade's Support of Daughter Zaya Wade
In 2020, Zaya, now 17, came out as transgender, a moment met with support from both Wade and Union. Despite this loving backing, Zaya has candidly shared her challenges, including navigating online criticism and harmful beauty standards. The ex-basketball star admired his daughter’s ability to fully be her authentic self.
"My daughter was my first interaction when it comes to having to deal with this conversation," Wade said on Good Morning America. "Hopefully I'm dealing with it the right way. Inside our home we see the smile on my daughter's face, we see the confidence that she's able to walk around and be herself and that's when you know you're doing right."
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Wade and Zaya have worked together to create a platform called Translatable, an online sanctuary for LGBTQ+ youth of color. Their platform aims to foster a nurturing environment for young individuals to explore their identities through creative outlets and offers educational resources for families seeking to understand and champion LGBTQ+ causes.
"She's the strong one in this family. She's a hero," Dwyane said on TODAY. "It's our family's job to make sure that we listen to her. We listen to the doctors. We ask questions and we formulate our own ideas of how Zaya should be and should be raised in this world and we don't allow others to do that for us."
Wade's Heading to Paris
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer is set to join former Wake Forest basketball player LaChina Robinson and sportscaster Noah Eagle on the NBC broadcasting team as an analyst for the upcoming Olympics this summer.
The basketball star is prepared to share his expertise on-screen during the games. Transitioning from the court to the broadcast booth, Wade is embracing this new challenge.
"It is a challenge for me," Wade told USA TODAY Sports. "I am in a space where I am always in these certain challenges. You want to make sure that any door you want to walk through, if you put the work in, it will open for you."
Wade is no stranger to the Games: he led Team USA's Redeem Team to victory, securing the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. Following his win, Wade produced "The Redeem Team," a Sports Emmy-winning documentary about the experience.
“I’m thrilled to join NBC Sports as a commentator for Team USA Men’s Basketball games,” Wade said in a statement. "The Olympics are the world’s greatest sporting competition with elite athletes competing at the highest level on the world’s largest stage. I have tremendous pride when I look back at my time competing as an Olympic athlete. I have the utmost respect for these players and their commitment to greatness. It will be an honor to witness their journey in person and share this special experience with viewers while we unite to celebrate their pursuit of the gold.”
