Celebrity News June 09, 2022
Dwyane Wade on His Fears for Zaya: ‘I Want to Put a Shield Over Her’
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Dwyane Wade was honored to be at the TIME 100 gala in honor of his friend, WNBA champion Candace Parker, who was named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People of 2022.
Wade, an NBA champion himself, and Parker are fellow analysts on "NBA on TNT," and he wrote about her for TIME.
“Extra” caught up with Dwyane, who shared, “I think the world of her… I wanted to really let it be known what I thought of her… I am here representing for her.”
Dwyane and his wife Gabrielle Union have been opening up about their lives on social media, and he told us, “In this world, sometimes you like to focus on the negative… We do try to focus on the positive. We understand there are so many families out there… They are trying to be better humans… Even though it’s not always easy… we know it’s bigger than us, the journey that we are riding on, it’s not just for us, it’s for so many others so we try to share.”
Recently the athlete shared that he is scared for his daughter Zaya when she leaves the house, “We all have concerns of our kids leaving home right now… what just went on in Texas… It is just a tough time…On top of that, I have a Black trans daughter and she is very known. I want to protect her. I want to put a shield over her… I don’t want people to hurt her with their comments and with their dislike and hate… They don’t even want to have the knowledge of who she is… I have fears as every parent in the United States right now — we all should. I have a couple extra fears for my daughter now being trans and being Black in America.”
Wade also said he was “so proud” of his his wife, who opened up on Instagram about her mental health after being sexually assaulted when she was 19 years old and saying she has battled PTSD for 30 years.
“I know how hard it is to share personal things, personal trauma… I tell her it is a sign of strength, just like Zaya,” he told “Extra.” “Someone that is out there will get this message… My wife sharing her journeys being very open and honest, it’s her therapy, it’s her way to be able to talk to individuals that she would never been able to have a one-on-one to, that are dealing with similar journeys that she has.”
