Yahoo News Zaya Wade Celebrates Dad Dwyane Wade's Hall of Fame Induction in Sweet Tribute: 'One of My Best Friends'
Dwyane Wade's teenage daughter was proud to watch her dad receive the ultimate career accolade
Mike Lawrie/Getty
Zaya Wade is proud to call Dwyane Wade her dad.
Honoring the 41-year-old retired Miami Heat star after his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, the 16-year-old took to Instagram to share some special words for him.
"My dad is a Hall of Famer 🖤 I’ve never been more proud in my life to know someone as kind, loving, and accepting as he is," she wrote.
"He is one of my best friends. I love you dad 🫶🏾."
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Gabrielle Union Wade/Instagram
The whole family joined Dwyane on the special occasion, with Gabrielle Union smiling alongside her husband and kids — Kaavia James, 4, Zaya, 16, Zaire, 21, and Dwyane's nephew Dahveon Morris, 21 — with everyone cheering him on during a heartfelt enshrinement speech.
"Thank you all for being there for me and for loving me in the most perfect way possible. I appreciate you guys and I love y'all," Dwyane said of his loved ones in attendance before specifically recognizing his wife.
"And my wife Gab, would you please stand. Thank you for making our house a home," he said.
"Thank you for making sure our kids feel seen, heard and protected when I'm not around. Thank you for learning every ref's name in the NBA and for screaming at them so I didn't have to — saved a lot of fine money," the athlete joked.
"I know I'm traveling for work this year during our anniversary, so I want to say, thank you for being on this journey for me — with me, these past 15 years. Thank you for learning to love my imperfections, just as much as we enjoyed and love the moments of perfection. I love you."
Earlier this year, Dwyane gave an emotional speech at the NAACP Image Awards as the couple accepted the President's Award. They used the opportunity to speak about championing the fight for LGBTQ rights, giving the speech just one day after Zaya's legal name change and gender assignment.
"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 continued: "As your father, my job isn't to create a version of myself or direct your future. My role is to be a facilitator to your hopes, your wishes, your dreams."
"Zaya, you've made me a better human by just simply being who you were born to be, our baby girl Zaya Wade. So baby, thank you for showing the world what courage looks like. I'm proud that I was chosen to stand in place as your father. And thank you so much to the NAACP for this incredible honor," he added.
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