Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade.Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/MG23/Getty
Dwyane Wadeis reflecting on his family’s decision to leave Florida, the placethe Hall of Famersays he “called home” for years.
Wade explains, “When we had to decide what the next step was for our family as we were all coming together a little bit more, we had to think about our family and how it looked and how we wanted our kids to feel, what we want them to see on a daily basis.”
Ultimately, Wade says, “Florida just wasn’t it for us at that time anymore.”
The father of three says the Sunshine State “has been so amazing for our family” in many ways, “but going forward, raising our family, it just wasn’t the ideal place.”
California was the “ideal place” for the Wade family, he says, “because of everything that it represents and the community that’s represented out here.”
Wade adds that “the community that my daughter is a part of” is “represented in a way that we felt comfortable” in California. Wade’s daughter, 15-year-oldZaya, came out as transgender in 2020.
Gabrielle Union and Daughters Zaya and Kaavia Celebrate Dwayne Wade’s Basketball Hall of Fame Induction.Mike Lawrie/Getty
Mike Lawrie/Getty
In addition to the Miami Heat, Florida is home to the NBA’s Orlando Magic. On May 12, the Magic organization donated $50,000 to a committee supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign.
Wade says it’s “unfortunate” that the state he “loves so much” has become a place he and his family don’t “feel protected” in right now. “There’s been a lot that’s come out of Florida, I don’t know, there’s been a lot that I’ve heard,” Wade says of the Magic’s donation.
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Wade says he “didn’t need validation at all” in the decision to leave Florida amid the NBA team’s support for DeSantis, but adds, “It’s just not a place right now that my family and I feel protected, feel safe, feel seen, and I’m thankful that I’m able to speak out on it because I know there’s other families that feel the same way.”
Moving forward, the retired NBA star says, “So, we have to continue to keep doing what we can so we could see some change happening in a place that I call home before.”
Zaya Wade, Kaavia James Union Wade, Gabrielle Union, and Dwyane Wade attend the Premiere of Disney’s “Cheaper By The Dozen” on March 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Among the ways he hopes to inspire change, Wadehas considered direct involvement with Florida politics.
Three months after reports surfaced that Florida Democrats were eyeing Wade and former NBA player Grant Hil as possible candidates for a U.S. Senate run in 2024, the former Miami Heat point guard shared his reaction to the news.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade pose at the 2023 Met Gala.Cindy Ord/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Cindy Ord/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
He then confirmed that he has been approached about running for political office — but laughed off any questioning about whether he would actually consider launching a campaign.
“I mean, it’s just conversation,” Wade said. “‘Hey, you would be good for,’ ‘Hey, we can see you in,’ ‘We would love to have you in.’ ”
He continued, “It’s things that I’m passionate about that I will speak out on and speak up for. And so I don’t play the politician games. I don’t know a lot about it.”
Wade shares two children with ex-wife Siovaughn Funches; Zaire, 21, and Zaya, 16, as well as a son, Xavier, 9, with Aja Metoyer. In 2018, Wade and his wife, actressGabrielle Union, welcomed a daughter, Kaavia James, 4. Wade is also the legal guardian of his nephew, Dahveon Morris, 21.
source: people.com
