Dwyane Wade confessed he used to play dress up in his sister’s clothes and heels when he was a kid.
Wade revealed his childhood explorations in a discussion about parenting on the “I Am Athlete” podcast. Wade, a father of four, said he wanted to be that parent who loves his children “unconditionally” and “selflessly”.
Wade, 40, said he and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, realized his son Zion, 49, was different early on.
“At three years old, me and my wife looked at each other and said, ‘What if? What if Zaya comes home – at the time, the name was Zion – if Zion comes home and says ‘Dad I’m gay…’ What are you gonna do, sir?”
Wade said:
“The reason we looked at each other is because… as kids, I used to put on heels, I used to put on, I used to do all those things. I’d try to put on, whatever my sisters wear, whatever my sisters did, I’d try to do those things. So at first, I said to myself, ‘Ah no, I did that. Zion is just doing the things I did. And then it went further and further and me and my wife had to look at each other and say ‘What if?'”
Wade said he looked in a mirror and prepared himself for the day that came when Zaya was 8 years old. Wade said he changed the way he spoke in the locker room and challenged his teammates to change their views on LGBT+ people.
Wade is also father to son Zaire, 20, daughter Kaavia, 3, and son Xavier,8.
Wade revealed the name his children calls his wife behind closed doors.
“They have a mother. She’s not their mother. Right? We call her bonus mom. They don’t call her Gab – they call her a totally different name that her family calls her… Nicky. Everyone calls her Nicky. My wife name is Nicky…”
Wade also discussed the relationship Zaya has with his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches.
“One day they’re gonna be able to read what the hell is going on, and that’s unfortunate. But, we’re never putting shade on their mother. Right? We’re not doing any of that. Right? We’re the adults. We’re the imperfect ones that have made these decisions. The only thing we’re gonna do is lift them up. We’re gonna lift their mother up and we’re gonna lift everyone up. And that’s what we all did. We all made sure at all times. No matter the situation – how ugly my divorce was… All we did is pump positive juice into the relationship that they mother would have with Zion and Zaya.”
Watch the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vie52SloEv0&t=67m
