Dwyane Wade is one of the most recognized and respected names in NBA history. On top of his numerous accolades as an NBA player, Wade is recognized for his role as a father. The 13-time All-Star is a parent to four kids: Kaavia, Zaya, Xavier, and his oldest, Zaire, who is 23. The 43-year-old superstar spoke about his journey as a dad during a recent edition of The Why with Dwyane Wade podcast.
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One subject that Wade touched on was the support a parent should give their child, stating that the parents want those “being there” moments as much as children do. But Wade also believes that allowing a child the space to grow on their own is just as essential in their journey of growing up. He equated the lack of space to a mom still tying their kids shoes. “You should be tying your own shoes,” Wade quipped.
Wade then reminisced about the accomplishments he had during his teenage years. He recalled making a name for himself, particularly on the basketball court, in high school. And throughout all that time he was a young man dealing with the absence of his parents.
“People come back to me about the different things I was doing in high school. When I was making my name…my parents were nowhere in sight. It was just me. I’m out here, I got to get it done,” screamed with some emotion in his voice.
Wade’s parents, Dwyane Wade Sr. and JoLina, split up when he was just four months old. JoLinda battled a vicious substance abuse problem that often landed her in prison. It was tough for Wade, especially growing up in the ‘not so friendly’ south side of Chicago. To avoid temptations from drugs and gangs, Wade turned to sports with some guidance from his older sister Tragil. The rest is history.
Fortunately for Wade, he wound up growing closer to his father as the years passed. He even made him a center point of his Hall of Fame acceptance speech in 2023. The two embraced as Wade excitedly announced, “We in the Hall of Fame dawg.”
Wade has never been afraid to share his parenting opinions to the public
In 2012, Wade wrote a book entitled, A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball. The memoir was about the responsibilities and life lessons he’s learned from parenthood following his tough custody battle with his first wife, Siovaughn.
On an old episode of his House Rules podcast, Wade spoke about the particular challenges couples face on instilling discipline in their kids — and how proper communication with your partner is a key element. More importantly, he expressed how difficult it is when the parents’ own childhood experiences are vastly different from their partners.
And it’s not like y’all don’t love each other, but y’all have grown up in different households, different states, different everything, and now you’re trying to raise a kid the same way. Not a thing. It doesn’t work.”
Wade is living proof that each day is a new lesson on how to be a parent. No one idea works better than the other. Supporting your kids and giving them the opportunity to grow up on their own go hand-in-hand. In Wade’s case, it seems to be working.
