All About Dwyane Wade's Daughter Zaya Wade

Mar. 15, 2025

At only 17,Zaya Wadehas already made a huge impression on the world. The model and influencer came out as transgender in 2020, and, along with dadDwyane Wadeand stepmomGabrielle Union— has been an impactful voice about queer rights.

Zaya has the full support of her NBA star father and actress stepmother. “She’s the strong one in this family. She’s a hero,” Dwyane said in June 2021. “It’s our family’s job to make sure that we listen to her. We listen to the doctors. We ask questions and we formulate our own ideas of how Zaya should be and should be raised in this world and we don’t allow others to do that for us.”

Dwyane and Union have been vocal in their support of their daughter,using their platformto haveimportant public conversationsabout transgender youth. “We’ve been through so many different things that other people and other families go through and they say, ‘Thank you for speaking out on it. Thank you for being the face and the voice of it because we can’t,’ " Dwyane said onGood Morning America. “And that’s what we’re trying to do. We know there’s other families out there that’s dealing with their kid, finding themselves and learning who they are.”

In April 2023, on an episode ofHeadlinerswithRachel Nichols, the retired athlete explained thathis family moved from Floridapartly out of support for Zaya.

“That’s another reason why I don’t live in that state,” he said when asked about Florida politicians who are proponents of LGBTQ policies. Dwayne added, “I mean, obviously, the tax [situation] is great. Having Wade County is great. But my family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there. And so that’s one of the reasons why I don’t live there.”

From her budding modeling career to how she’s inspiring people with her self-confidence, here’s everything to know about Dwyane Wade’s daughter Zaya.

She’s a model and influencer

Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty

Zaya has been making waves in the fashion industry since launching her modeling career. In the fall of 2022,Zaya modeledfor Tiffany & Co.’s new all-gender bracelets, and around the same time, sheshared some outtakesfrom another fashion shoot.

In March 2023, Zaya madeher runway debutfor Miu Miu atParis Fashion Week, with her parents sitting in the front row. “Thank you @zayawade for showing me what it means to believe in yourself,” stylist Thomas Christos Kikis captioneda post of Zaya’s appearanceon Instagram.

Later that month, Zaya’sfirst magazine coverhit newsstands.DAZEDprinted a black-and-white photo of the model who was dressed head-to-toe in Miu Miu.

Wade, the doting dad that he is, later boasted about receiving the “first signed copy” of the magazine. Zaya had penned a sweet note that said: “To dad: I love you.”

In July 2023, Zaya wasfeatured in Miu Miu’s campaignfor their fall/winter collection. She modeled an oversized corduroy jacket and matching skirt that was paired with kitten heels and a brown leather handbag.

She comes from a blended family

Zaya Wade/instagram

“I never wanted kids,” Union told PEOPLE. “Then I became a stepmom, and there was no place I’d rather be than with them.”

In her cover story forDAZED, Zaya opened up about her relationship with Union, sharing that her stepmom has taught her that “beauty is in yourself.”

“It’s about being you and expressing yourself the way you want to. She tries to teach me that beauty standards are arbitrary and that they don’t mean anything,” Zaya explained. “They don’t matter anymore; what people thought was the standard is not. And just that being myself is the best technique out there.”

She’s an advocate for LGBTQ+ teens

Speaking to PEOPLE about the Dove Self-Esteem Project, in which she appeared with her step-mom, Zaya revealed that living her truth hasimproved her relationships. “I can be truthful and honest with myself and therefore, truthful and honest with other people. That helps better everyone’s connections and relationships with each other,” she said.

“Well, like you have and currently are,” Obama replied. “I am just so proud of you, you know, being just an amazing role model and embracing your truth.”

“We all think that we thrive with people who are just like us, but I think getting a different perspective from someone else who isn’t like you really helps,” Zaya later said in the chat. “That definitely helped me in becoming me and defining my truth.”

Her parents have also been outspoken about standing up against hate speech. “Our home will never be a safe space for bigots,” Union told PEOPLE. “I look at problematic language as violence and I’m never going to expose anyone I love to violence, whether that be verbal, physical, emotional or spiritual. Jerks exist in every area of life. And we function from a place of truth in our household. But if you come at us, oh, be very prepared.”

In May 2024, Zaya and Dwyane launchedTranslatable— a digital platform that provides LGBTQ+ youth a safe space to express themselves.

Zaya’s parents say they’re learning from her

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

During an interview withGood Morning America,Dwyane opened up about what it was like learning Zaya identifies as trans, and the ways that she’s leading the conversation in their home.

“It was a process for us to sit down with our daughter and find out who she is and what she likes, and not put something on her,” Dwyane said. “As parents, we put our hopes and we put our fears on our kids. With Zaya,we decided to listen to her. And she’s walking us on the journey.”

“I’m not going to sit here and act like we have all the answers,” he added. “I’m not going to sit here and act like before our child sat us down that we weren’t ignorant parents. When I say we’re learning from our 12-year-old, we’re literally learning from our child.”

In June 2023, Wade elaborated on the “landmark moment” when Zaya came out to him as transgender. He recalled seeing “fear” in his daughter’s face.

“I came home and I just remembermy child being scared to talk to me, like hiding in my wife’s arm in a chair,” Wade said during an event in Ojai, California. “I think I’m this dad that’s like, ‘Hey, come and tell me anything! I’m a cool dad.’ And so I had to check myself.”

He continued: “In a lot of work as parents — and as people — what we do is we put our fears and everything on our kids. And I guess I was doing that. So, I had to go look myself in the mirror and ask myself, ‘What is it about my masculinity that has my child afraid?’ "

She and her family are fighting for societal change

Dwyane and Union have become advocates for trans youth since Zaya came out. When she came out in 2020, Unionposted a video of Zaya, captioning it, “Meet Zaya. She’s compassionate, loving, whip-smart and we are so proud of her. It’s OK to listen to, love & respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people.”

Zaya and her family have faced an enormous amount of criticism, not just about Zaya coming out about her gender identity, but about her parents supporting her on her journey.

“For those people who have spoken out so publicly against our family …I’m not standing on my own,” Union toldVarietyin 2020. “The cavalry is arriving, and they are unafraid to stand in their truth and not be compromising when we look at right and wrong.”

When Union and Dwyane accepted the President’s Award at theNAACP Image Awardsin February 2023, he gave a shout to Zaya in the speech. “Zaya, as your father, all I’ve wanted to do is get it right. I’ve sat back and watched how gracefully you’ve taken on the public scrutiny,” he said. “And even though it’s not easy, I watched you walk out of that house every morning as yourself. I admire how you’ve handled ignorance in our world. I admire it that you face every day. To say that your village is proud of you is an understatement.”

Dwyane and Union were alsothere to support Zayawhen she was recognized as a groundbreaker at the Out100 event in December 2024.

She has a strained relationship with her mother

Dwyane has had custody of Zaya and Zaire since divorcing their mother,Siohvaughn Funches-Wade. When Dwyane and Union filed paperwork to legally change Zaya’s name and gender, Funches-Wadesubmitted court documents objecting to the change, alleging that Dwyane is “positioned to profit” from the change and “may be pressuring” Zaya for financial gain.

He later added, “This isn’t a game for my family and definitely not for Zaya. This is her life.”

“While it certainly would have been preferable for Zaya’s mother to be supportive of this important part of Zaya’s journey, Zaya should not be forced to put her life on hold while she waits for Siohvaughn to acknowledge and accept her truth,” the documents stated.

On Feb. 24, 2023,Zaya was granted an official name changeand assignment of gender.

She’s proud of her dad

Mike Lawrie/Getty

“My dad is a Hall of Famer 🖤I’ve never been more proudin my life to know someone as kind, loving, and accepting as he is,” the model wrote on Instagram alongside a series of photos with her dad. “He is one of my best friends. I love you dad.”

In February 2024, Wade toldPEOPLE about the moment he was able to tell Zaya that he’d been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short forThe Barber of Little Rock.

“She said, ‘Wait a minute. My friends have been talking about it. They’ve watched it, they’ve seen it.’ Sothat was a cool momentto be able to let my daughter know that I’m on that side of the world, and we’re telling some, and highlighting some really cool stories that are meaningful and impactful,” he said.

source: people.com