Dwyane Wade Wanted Daughter Zaya To Play Basketball With LeBron And Carmelo’s Kids Before Her Transition

Dwyane Wade is sharing the hard life lesson he learned about making plans for other people’s lives, particularly your children.

The basketball great opened up on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast about the old basketball hoop dreams he had for his daughter Zaya Wade before her transition. With Wade being close friends with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, the Miami Heat alum had high hopes for their children continuing their legacy together on the court.

“I have Zaya. LeBron has Bryce. Melo has Kiyan. All within a 2 to 3-week span,” Wade explained.

“All our kids gonna grow up hooping together. “Oh we on! Boy we gonna have 3 babies! We on!”

“You couldn’t tell me that we wouldn’t be on the circuit right now, baby! We hooping,” he added.

But Wade was issued a hard reality check when Zaya turned 12 and came out as transgender.

“See what happens when you start making plans for other people’s lives?” he said.

Soon he was reintroduced to Zaya, his youngest of two children shared with ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches. Wade also shares son Zaire, 21, with Funches, son Xavier, 9, with Aja Metoyer, and daughter Kaavia, 4, with his wife Gabrielle Union-Wade.

“Then, I got to meet my child. And a lot of people like to talk about Zaya’s transition, but to me, Zaya hasn’t transitioned into anything,” he said.

“She’s but a kid, and now becoming a young adult,” he continued. “I’ve watched her go through life. There hasn’t been any transition for us. There’s been a transition for the world, but for us, I see the same kid that I’ve seen since May 29, 2007. Nothing has changed.”

Zaya celebrated her family’s tight bond and the support they give her in a Harper’s Bazaar interview last month.

“Coming out is such a big change. It’s hard to navigate. We’ve all really learned more about each other and the way we can coexist and grow together in this crazy world, especially in the public eye,” she said.

“It’s like a spotlight is always on you. At the end of the day, though, we are a family, and we support and love each other and we are grateful.”