Dwyane Wade Admits Not Understanding What Zaya Was Going Through But Learning Over Time

Dwyane Wade’s daughter Zaya came out publicly as a trans girl in 2020 and it altered the Hall of Famer’s worldview. He supported his daughter’s transition but had to learn how to deal with the challenges that came with raising a 12-year-old who was going through a major life change. He admitted that he was unsure how to handle the situation, and resorted to compassion to navigate his way through it.

After receiving the Elevate Prize Foundation’s Catalyst Award, Wade detailed how Zaya’s transition helped him become a better parent and a wiser man during his acceptance speech. He said,

“When it came time to be a parent to Zaya in something that I did not understand, I knew what to do. I knew to love and accept what I did not understand. And so it made me start listening to conversations in the male locker room a little different. It made me have conversations with my friends a little different. It started changing me as a person. And of course, I became a better parent, because I learned so much more about my child.”

Wade added that he realized his job did not end at accepting Zaya’s transition. He had to be an active participant in her life to ensure her well-being as she got more comfortable with her identity.

Wade’s experience with Zaya’s transition helped him learn about the plight of young trans people. To help them, he launched Translatable, an online community for transgender youth and their families.

The Hall of Famer is actively helping his daughter carve the path she chooses after pushing her for years to follow her path and become a basketball star.

Dwyane Wade wanted Zaya to be an NBA star

Like most athletes, Wade wanted his child to follow him and become an NBA icon. While he had to let it go after his daughter’s transition, he has no qualms about it. On the Club Shay Shay podcast, the Miami Heat candidly detailed his shift in mindset about Zaya’s future, saying,

“I have Zaya. LeBron has Bryce. Melo has Kiyan. All within a 2-3 week span. All our kids gonna grow up hooping together. ‘Oh we on! Boy we gonna have 3 babies! We on!’ [But you] See what happens when you start making plans for other people’s lives? You couldn’t tell me that we wouldn’t be on the circuit right now, baby! We hooping! Then, I got to meet my child.”

Wade added that people laud him for how he has dealt with Zaya’s transition, but he doesn’t believe she has transitioned into anything she wasn’t. He claimed that he views her the same way she did before she came out as a trans girl, and to him, nothing has changed. The Hall of Famer’s maturity is noteworthy and an example to learn from for any parent raising a transgender child.