A few people played Cupid in bringing Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union together. The most important role, as per the Hollywood star, was played by the late pop legend, Prince. During an appearance on The Daily Show six years ago, Union revealed the full story.
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The 52-year-old was on a promotional run at the time for her book ‘We’re Going to Need More Wine’. One of the stories that caught host Trevor Noah’s attention was how Union first came to know about Dwyane Wade.
Union recalled that she was heading to a Prince party with a few of her friends from the industry when D-Wade’s brothers got on the same elevator. The NBA legend was in town for a game, but Union didn’t remember which LA team he was playing. As soon as his brothers saw her, they said, “My brother has the biggest crush on you.”
For a big star like Union, compliments like that are common. She recalled responding, “Okay, that’s very sweet.”
She had no idea that she was talking to Wade’s brothers and Union explained the reason for it as well. She said, “They’re step-brothers so it’s not like, ‘You bear an uncanny resemblance to the young fellow from Miami.’”
However, when the conversation went a little further, she was asked if she’d like to co-host a Super Bowl party with their superstar brother. In February of 2007, D-Wade and Union met for the first time during the Super Bowl party. As per the Hollywood star, they didn’t have an instant connection on their first meeting.
She told Essence, “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.” Another thing that made her keep a distance initially was the situation Wade was in at the time. During a 2014 interview with Glamour, she detailed her initial thoughts.
Union said, “When I met Dwyane, his résumé looked like crap: athlete, going through a divorce, nine years younger than me. None of that screamed, ‘Let’s have a lasting relationship.’” It didn’t take long for them to start dating despite what Union thought of him initially. Three years later, they made their relationship public and got married in 2014.
