Zaya Wade Praises Dad Dwyane Wade on Hall of Fame Induction

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A post shared by Zaya Wade (@zayawade)

“My dad is a Hall of Famer,” she wrote. “I’ve never been more proud in my life to know someone as kind, loving, and accepting as he is. He is one of my best friends. I love you dad.”

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A post shared by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion)

Wade, who played in the NBA, mostly for the Miami Heat, from 2003-2019, won three NBA championships, being named Finals MVP in 2006. He was a 13 time All-Star and led the league in scoring in 2009.

In 2008, he was a part of the United State’s men’s basketball team known as the “Redeem Team” at the Olympics, winning a gold medal. He thanked his family in his Hall of Fame speech.

“Thank you all for being there for me and for loving me in the most perfect way possible,” he said to his family and friends in the audience. “I appreciate you guys and I love y’all.”

“And my wife Gab, would you please stand. Thank you for making our house a home,” he said, turning to his wife, Gabrielle Union.

“Thank you for making sure our kids feel seen, heard and protected when I’m not around. Thank you for learning every ref’s name in the NBA and for screaming at them so I didn’t have to – saved a lot of fine money.”

“I know I'm traveling for work this year during our anniversary, so I want to say, thank you for being on this journey for me — with me, these past 15 years,” he said. “Thank you for learning to love my imperfections, just as much as we enjoyed and love the moments of perfection. I love you.”

Wade and Union recently spoke out about their family, and specifically raising their trans daughter Zaya when they were presented with the President’s Award at the NAACP Image Awards in February.

“As your father, my job isn’t to create a version of myself or direct your future,” Wade said to Zaya in the speech. “My role is to be a facilitator to your hopes, your wishes, your dreams. Zaya, you’ve made me a better human, just simply by being who you were born to be, our baby girl, Zaya Wade.”