Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union on the red carpet
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union at the Albie Awards in 2024.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade are raising four children together; the NBA star is also the legal guardian of his nephew Dahveon Morris.
Wade shares his two eldest children, Zaire and Zaya, with his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches.
He also welcomed a son, Xavier, with Aja Metoyer during a brief separation from Union.
Wade and Union later welcomed their daughter Kaavia via surrogate.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade are raising a blended family of seven with the NBA star's nephew Dahveon Morris and the couple's four kids: Zaire, Zaya, Xavier, and Kaavia. Wade welcomed his two eldest, Zaire and Zaya, with his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches; Xavier was born to Wade and Basketball Wives cast member Aja Metoyer. Finally, Union and Wade welcomed their daughter Kaavia via surrogate in 2018.
"I never wanted kids," the Bring It On actress once told People. "Then I became a stepmom, and there was no place I'd rather be than with them."
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade with their kids Zaire, Zaya, Kaavia, and Dahveon.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade with their kids Zaire, Zaya, Kaavia, and Dahveon.
Union was open about her pregnancy struggles prior to welcoming Kaavia, writing that she had had "eight or nine miscarriages" in her 2017 memoir We're Going to Need More Wine.
“For so many women, and not just women in the spotlight, people feel very entitled to know, ‘Do you want kids?'” she told People. “A lot of people, especially people that have fertility issues, just say ‘no’ because that’s a lot easier than being honest about whatever is actually going on. People mean so well, but they have no idea the harm or frustration it can cause.”
Wade, for his part, told People that his kids "appreciate when you try to get to know them."
"And you know what I've always tried to do with my kids, from Zaire all the way down to Xavier, from Kaav and Zaya, I try to meet them where they're at, and I don't try to always bring them to where I want them to be, or my world," he added.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade on the red carpet with their daughter Kaavia.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade on the red carpet with their daughter Kaavia.
The three-time NBA Championship winner also strives to "lead with love" when it comes to parenthood. "I want to be somebody who my kids always understand, that can adapt, and that is willing to grow and is willing to learn," he once said in an interview with People. "Also, someone that they can come to for advice about this, that or the third, and that will not be judgmental about it."
Ahead, here's everything you should know about Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade's four children, Zaire, Zaya, Xavier, and Kaavia.
Zaire Wade
Zaire Wade wearing a black suit with a black T-shirtZaire Wade wearing a black suit with a black T-shirt
Zaire Wade at Dwyane Wade's 003 Statues Are Forever Party in 2024.
Zaire was born to Wade and his then-wife Siohvaughn Funches on February 4, 2002. The ex-couple were high school sweethearts and were just 20 years old at the time of their son's birth. When Zaire got to high school himself, he followed in his dad's footsteps by playing basketball alongside Bronny James, son of NBA legend Lebron James.
Wade later said that his son is in "the driver's seat" when it comes to his career. "There’s so many different ways to get to the NBA or to get that path,” the dad-of-four told People. “So, [I’m] just trying to help him navigate through expectations that the world has put on him, and that he puts on himself because of his last name.”
Zaire was drafted by the Salt Lake City Stars in 2021 and joined the Cape Town Tigers in South Africa in 2023. In 2024, he signed with the Macau Black Bears in China.
Dwyane Wade with his son Zaire at a Cape Town Tigers game in 2023.
Dwyane Wade with his son Zaire at a Cape Town Tigers game in 2023.
Aside from sports, Zaire also founded his own clothing brand, YnG DnA. He released a Pride collection in collaboration with his famous father in 2021, with proceeds benefitting Athlete Ally. "We wanted to do something to try and show our support to my sister Zaya and the whole community," Zaire told People at the time. The collection featured graphic T-shirts and hoodies that read "You are amazing."
"'You are amazing,' that's what we say to each other," Wade explained. "That's the one thing I've always tried to say to my kids. I have always let them know who they are and how amazing they are and where they can go. So I think it was a simple message, but it was a powerful message."
YnG DnA is currently "under construction," per the brand's Instagram.
Zaya Wade
Dwyane Wade with his daughter Zaya at a Revolve event in 2024.
Dwyane Wade with his daughter Zaya at a Revolve event in 2024.
Wade and Funches welcomed their second child together on May 29, 2007. The ex-couple parted ways later that same year. In 2011, Wade was granted full custody of both children.
"When I decided to go for custody, I really didn't have a lot of examples," Wade said during an appearance on Showtime’s "All the Smoke" podcast. "I really didn't have too many people I could reach out to to say, 'Bro, how's the process?' Or give me confidence that I even can stand a chance...It was uncharted waters, but it was all about just being in my kids' lives."
Zaya came out as transgender in February 2020 with the full support of Wade and Union. "We're just loving and accepting our kids, which is not revolutionary," The Riff Raff actress told Variety at the time. "To some people it's nuts."
Gabrielle Union, Zaya Wade, and Dwyane Wade at the Out100 Celebration in 2024.
Gabrielle Union, Zaya Wade, and Dwyane Wade at the Out100 Celebration in 2024.
Wade, for his part, opened up about the experience in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres. "Once Zaya came home and said, ‘I want you to call me Zaya and I’m ready to take on this,’ I looked at her and said, ‘You are a leader. And this is our opportunity to allow you to be a voice.'”
Zaya's coming out story led her entire family to become advocates for the LGBTQ+ community. They were included in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020; Union later participated in Dove's Self-Esteem Project thanks to some encouragement from her stepdaughter.
"As a trans person, once I came out, there was a lot of hateful comments about how I should grow my hair out long or fit into a certain version of femininity, even though that's not true at all," Zaya said, per People. "That kind of advice is just trying to break you, but don't let it."
Union added, "We try to stress character, compassion, love, acceptance and joy. That hopefully radiates from the inside out. When it comes to how she moves through the world, we try to stress there is no one way to be a woman or to be feminine."
Zaya Wade and Gabrielle Union holding hands on the red carpet
Zaya Wade and Gabrielle Union holding hands on the red carpet
In 2023, Zaya's dad gave her a heartfelt shout-out when he won the President's Award at the NAACP Image Awards. "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," Wade said, per People. "And even though it's not easy, I watched you walk out of that house every morning as yourself... To say that your village is proud of you is an understatement."
Zaya has since graced the covers of Seventeen, Who What Wear, and Dazed. She made her runway debut with Miu Miu in March 2023. She and Wade also co-founded a resource hub for LGBTQ+ youth called Translatable.
"Sports is something you can expect an award from,” Wade told People at the time. “But this one right here is not one of those things that I would expect to get an award for. I’m just a parent doing what a good parent should do.”
Xavier Wade
Dwyane Wade and Xavier Wade at an NBA game in 2024.
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Wade welcomed his son Xavier during a brief separation from Union. Xavier was born on November 10, 2013 to the NBA star and Basketball Wives cast member Aja Metoyer.
"It should go without saying that we were not in a good place at the time that child was conceived," Union later wrote in an essay for Time. "But we were doing much better when he finally told me about the pregnancy. To say I was devastated is to pick a word on a low shelf for convenience."
Xavier currently lives with his mother, meaning that Wade's time with his youngest son is all the more precious. In 2021, he expounded on their relationship in his photographer memoir, Dwyane.
"Xavier doesn't live with me, so we don't get to see each other every day like I do with my other kids," Wade wrote, per People. "It makes things challenging at times, but it's my job to make sure he never has to carry that weight."
He continued, "It's up to me to make sure he knows he's being raised with love even if we don't live under the same roof...And it's up to me to let him know that while distance may physically separate us at times, I'm always going to be the man he can depend on to love him and help lead him."
Kaavia James Wade
Gabrielle Union with her daughter Kaavia at an event for New York & Company in 2019.
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Wade and Union reunited in 2013 and tied the knot in 2014; four years later, they welcomed their first child together on November 7, 2018. Kaavia James Wade was born via surrogate. Three years later, her mother opened up about their decision to pursue surrogacy in an essay for Time.
"I was not ready to do that," she wrote. "I wanted the experience of being pregnant. To watch my body expand and shift to accommodate this miracle inside me." Union considered taking a drug called Lupron that would give her a 30% chance of carrying a baby to term, albeit with severe side effects. She recalled that Wade responded by saying, "You've done enough."
"He looked me in the eye. 'As much as we want this baby, I want you,' he said slowly. 'We’ve lost too much in our relationship for me to be okay with encouraging you to do one more thing to your body and your soul,'" Union wrote.
Gabrielle Union holding her baby daughter Kaavia on the red carpet
Gabrielle Union holding her baby daughter Kaavia on the red carpet
In 2020, Union wrote a "love letter" to Kaavia in the form of a children's book, Welcome to the Party.
"I wanted to create a love letter to my daughter to let her know that even though her entry into our family was a bit non-traditional, we love her and wanted her," she told People. "And she is celebrated."
Gabrielle Union, and Dwyane Wade with their daughter Kaavia on the red carpet
Gabrielle Union, and Dwyane Wade with their daughter Kaavia on the red carpet
Kaavia has since established herself as a lovable online personality thanks to an Instagram page run by her parents.
“She looks just like Dad, but I’d like to think the attitude is from me,” Union told People. “She will stare into your soul and tell you about yourself through her eyes.”
In 2024, Union and Wade threw their youngest a Barbie-themed 6th birthday party, writing "pink vibes only" on Instagram. In another post, they celebrated Kaavia by calling her a "miracle."
"You are a gift to your family, blood and chosen, and so many people across the world," they added.