Dwyane Wade is one proud father.
The NBA legend opened up about his family while attending The Time 100 Gala, a celebration of the yearly power list of the most influential people in politics, entertainment, and sports.
Being Pride Month, the former Miami Heat star discussed the topic of fighting transgender hate, and the enormous pride he feels for his "courageous" daughter Zaya, now 15 years old, who identifies as transgender.
"That's all we talk about it, just her courage,” Wade told Entertainment Tonight. “First, to even have the conversation with her father, with her family, at eight years old. I look at her, and I'm 40 years old and I don't even think I'm as courageous as she is. I think we all want to get to that place where we're living the life that we always dreamed of, or we're being the people that we always wanted to be, and it's no different from her."
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"Even though the conversation shifts about her gender and her sexuality,” he continued, “but it's the same thing, we're all striving to get to the same place. So, I feel lucky and blessed to be her father, and thankful that I am the one who was put in her life to be her facilitator, and I'm excited where she's going."
Wade and wife Gabrielle Union share a three-year-old daugher, Kaavia. The duo co-parent Zaya and Wade's two sons – Zaire, 20, and Xavier, 8.
The 40-year-old athlete went on to comment on Zaya's plans for celebrating Pride this year.
"No plans, Zaya's not into celebrating pride,” Wade stated. “I think her biggest celebration was the fact that she has a supportive family, and we're being mom, dad, brothers, and we're just trying to be what we can be for her. And she don't wanna make it a big thing. For her, 'This is just who I am, I don't need to celebrate who I am,' in that sense. But we support and we love Pride Month.”
During the Time 100 Summit conversation event, the topic came up of the numerous anti-trans laws being enacted throughout the United States, and Wade admitted he is “afraid” every time his daughter leaves the house.
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"We’re losing the human side of us,” he stated. “And as sad as it is, as blessed as my daughter is to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves the house. And not just because of gun violence, but because of the way that people perceive her in this world."
But as he showed so many times on the NBA court, Wade does not let fear guide him.
"Like I said yesterday," said Wade, "with everything that's going on in the world, it's fearful as well, no doubt about it, but we don't stop doing stuff because of fear."
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