Dwyane Wade Says He Wants Zaya To Reach Full Potential

Dwyane Wade never misses a beat when it comes to supporting his daughter Zaya.

The retired NBA star’s 12-year-old daughter, Zaya, came out as transgender earlier this month, sharing that she hopes she can now live her truth.

Wade says that he, and his wife Gabrielle Union, treat their daughter the same as their other children, wanting them to seek their full potential.

“As I’m raising [Zaya], as I’m raising my kids, you just try to put them in the best situations to be able to succeed in life,” he told People. “How I do that, and how me and my wife decide to do that, may be different than another family, but we want them to know there’s always unconditional love, that it will always be support.”

Despite some hateful comments from the public, the former Miami Heat player emphasized the need to accept his children as they are and solely focus on being a good parent.

“When a kid is born, they don’t come out with a pamphlet that’s like, ‘Okay, these are the directions for this kid,’ right?” he tells People. “You just figure it out, and you try to help raise someone who’s good and kind and just characteristics that you want your kids to hopefully have.”

Although she has shown her strength and confidence throughout the past month thanks to her dad, Zaya has also had plenty of encouragement from stepmom Gabrielle Union. The actress posted on Twitter about Zaya’s compassion.

During an appearance on Good Morning America, Wade revealed that Zaya has known her true identity since she was three years old. He says that he and Union take their roles as parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community very seriously. 

RELATED: Dwyane Wade Says Daughter Zaya Knew Her Gender Identity At 3 Years Old

Looks like Wade and Union are prime examples of supportive parents.

“We’ve got you, no matter what,” said Wade. “And we see you. … I see you how you see you.”

But Wade and Union have not hidden the fact that this is still a learning process for them. The couple stated that they even reached out to the cast of Pose to get more information about using proper pronouns. 

Wade opens up more about his career, Zaya, and his family dynamic, in his new documentary, D. Wade: Life Unexpected, which premiered Sunday (Feb. 23).