Back in 2007, Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade underwent a public divorce with Siohvaughn Funches-Wade. The couple had started off as high school sweethearts and had two children together. Funches had also filed a suit, which cost Wade $5,000,000 to settle. She had accused the NBA star of multiple controversial acts, such as using their transgender daughter Zaya for monetary purposes and contracting STDs from outside marriage. According to his book, A Father First, the allegations led to a range of rumors and resulted in Dwyane’s new partner, Gabrielle Union, missing out on acting opportunities.
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Wade had filed a countersuit claiming defamation and was obviously affected during the public ordeal. The then-Miami Heat star claimed that he was shocked after the allegations and that they took a hit on his brand and his overall career.
Dwyane Wade detailed the impact of public divorce in his book, A Father First
Wade eventually had to pay $5,000,000 in order to settle the suit. The monetary loss aside, Wade also revealed a range of other consequences for him and his new partner, Gabrielle Union.
Wade revealed that he was getting dirty looks in public, and the media proceeded to slaughter his new partner. Furthermore, Gabrielle Union was presented as a home-wrecker by the media:
“In the months that followed, once Gab and I were seen as a couple, the media feeding frenzy that had been started by Siohvaughn focused on my girlfriend as the vixen home wrecker responsible for turning me against my high school sweetheart and abandoning my boys.
By that point, with the divorce marathon nearly a year old and getting nowhere, I should have toughened up. But I was shocked, and more than anything, I was hurt for Gabrielle. Her world was different from the fish bowl you live in as an NBA player, where you can expect to get trashed by untruths that come with the territory. When I took a hit on my career and my brand, I could generally hope that after a few news cycles the dust would soon settle. Gabby had to confront the untruths a different way and she did lose some opportunities, it’s sad to say.”
What’s more, not only was the couple unfairly targeted, but Gabrielle also missed out on multiple job opportunities. Wade revealed that while his time in the NBA had made him used to the criticism, the same wasn’t true for his new partner.
DWade got closer to Gabrielle Union due to criticism levied at her
Wade revealed that quite a bit of gossip was levied at both him and Union. While he was painted as a lost kid, Gabrielle was portrayed as a home-wrecker.
Wade revealed in his book that the two were eventually able to move above the noise. They both realized that they needed to stick together as Dwyane dealt with his divorce.
This resulted in them getting closer than ever. The two have been happily together ever since and share a daughter named Kaavia.
