November 2, 2022
Dwyane Wade’s Ex-Wife Accuses Him of ‘Pressuring’ Daughter Zaya Wade To Transition for Financial Gain
Dwyane Wade is being called out by his ex-wife, who accused the NBA star of exploiting their transgender daughter, Zaya Wade, for financial gain.
On Wednesday, documents revealed that Siohvaughn Funches-Wade objected to Dwyane’s petition to legally change their 15-year-old’s name to Zaya due to “multiple factors,” Page Six reports.
Funches-Wade, 41, alleged that Dwyane, 40, “is positioned to profit from the minor child’s name and gender change with various companies through contacts and marketing opportunities, including but not limited to deals with Disney.”
The filing continues: “I have concerns that [Wade] may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies.”
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Funches-Wade, who was married to Wade from 2002 to 2010, noted an April 2022 meeting with Dwyane in Atlanta where the NBA champion allegedly told her that “a lot of money had been already made” from Zaya’s “name and gender issue.”
“[Wade] told me that he intended to make our child very famous due to the name and gender issue and also informed me that there would be endorsements/contracts associated therewith,” the mother of two claimed.
Funches-Wade referred to her transgender daughter’s dead name in the filing, claiming, “Zion, who was present at the time, answered that various companies were interested and that Disney was a prospective company.”
She also alleged that because Zaya’s transition has been highly publicized, “there will likely be media pressure on the minor child.” Funches-Wade requested that Zaya should make this decision for herself when she is “at the age of majority” when she turns 18.
Wade and his current wife, Gabrielle Union, remain transparent and supportive parents to Zaya in the wake of the teen identifying as transgender. Wade appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2020 and shared that Zaya came to him and Union, saying she was finally “ready to live [her] truth.”
On Zaya’s social media, she proudly identifies herself with the pronouns “She/Her.”