Athlete Dwyane Wade says he is in the pre-games of his new life. New life meaning his career post NBA. The basketball legend has been retired since 2019 and has been keeping busy re-building his brand as a businessman, philanthropist, father, husband and author. While promoting his new book, he stopped by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah to discuss how he found the right way to help daughter Zaya through her transition.
Titled “Dwyane Wade – His Photo Memoir, What’s Next & Helping His Daughter Find Herself | The Daily Show”, the clip sees Wade and Noah discussing a number of topics stemming from his new book Dwyane. The “photo memoir” was created in such a way because Wade wanted to make sure it was accessible to kids who wanted to learn about his life and journey. Amazon describes it as “The long-awaited photographic memoir from basketball superstar Dwyane Wade, beautifully designed with hundreds of photos from Wade’s life on and off the court.” It continues “Dwyane is a deep dive into the mind and heart of one of the most compelling basketball players of all time.”
During their discussion, Noah asks Wade about his triumphs as a father and how those have defined him. They discuss son Zahire who is now playing basketball and how supportive Wade has been for his journey. Noah then shifts the focus to daughter Zaya Wade. Zaya has become a figurehead in the movement for trans-teens and developing support and understanding around them.
“Everyone thinks the journey to understanding transpeople and the conversation happens overnight. It wasn’t overnight for you, and you had to learn. If you were to talk to another parent out there or somebody who just goes like ‘Dwyane, this is just wrong. I don’t get it.’ What helped you to begin to understand so you could be the best parent to her?”
Wade says “I think when things happen personally to you, when you have a personal connection to something or someone you take it a little bit more serious. When it happens to you, you have to look it in the face. My daughter looking at me from across the table, I have to…this is something I need to deal with, right?” He goes on to say that “I don’t know everything. As a parent, you want to make sure that your kids come to you, you have answers. You have the right words, you have the right support.” He says that in that initial moment he had no answers, all he knew was that he was talking to his child and deeply loved her.
He said seeing the pain that he saw his daughter in was hard. Supporting her and seeing how she flourished when she felt more confident in herself and who she was made all the difference. He says he is not trying to dim her light, rather he wants to move out the way and let her get all of it and truly shine. “I see beautiful blossoming 14 year old girl” he says. He says he understands his job is to provide and that he does not own his daughter and is only supposed to help her through life.
