If you want to date Dwyane Wade’s daughter, Zaya Wade, proceed with a little bit of caution.
“The people I’ve dated have all been afraid of him in the first interaction,” Zaya, 17, shared with Seventeen in an interview published Monday, February 24. “He’s gigantic and he has this deep, booming voice.”
But before any potential suitors avoid shooting their shot, Zaya admits he’s not as scary as some may think.
“The facade only lasts for so long and you actually see his real personality,” she said. “He’s a teddy bear.”
Related: Dwyane Wade’s Strong Bond With Transgender Daughter Zaya Through the Years
Dwyane Wade has been outspoken about how proud he is of his daughter Zaya’s growth through the years. In February 2020, the professional basketball player announced that Zaya was transgender. “First of all, me and my wife, Gabrielle Union, we are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community, and we’re proud allies as […]
Dwyane, 43, shares Zaya, as well as 23-year-old son Zaire, with ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches. He’s also a father to son Xavier, whom he welcomed in 2013 with ex Aja Metoyer. Wade and wife Gabrielle Union share daughter Kaavia James, who was born in 2018.
As Zaya tries her best to focus on academics and figure out where she wants to go to college, the high school student can’t help but be a little interested in dating. Fortunately, Dwyane and Union, 52, are “really cool about it.”
“Me and my stepmom love to dish the dirt and tap into the high school gossip,” Zaya said. “She gets excited for me when I’m like, ‘Oh, I like this person.”
While Dwyane “tries to scare any person I have interest in,” Zaya said she appreciates that both her dad and stepmom want to meet the people she has eyes for.
What she can’t always get behind are Dwyane and Union’s social media posts.
“OK, with my stepmom, it’s the dances she posts,” Zaya said. “She does them tastefully, but I want to text her so badly and be like, ‘Girl.’”
As for Dwyane, Zaya can’t help but wonder if he really has to showcase all of his fashion choices on Instagram.
Related: Celebrity Parents Best Quotes About Supporting Their LGBTQ+ Kids
Dwyane Wade, Khary Payton and more celebrities have supported their LGBTQ+ kids’ journeys. During a February 2020 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Wade opened about his daughter Zaya coming out as transgender, noting that he takes his “roles and responsibilities” as her father “very seriously.” Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters […]
“My dad, at the end of the day, he is a man. He’s just always going to give man and honestly, as an entire gender, they embarrass me,” Zaya joked. “So when my dad shows up to a party and he’s wearing a suit and he has no undershirt on, it’s like, ‘What are you doing?’ And when he posts on his Instagram and he’s fully shirtless, I’m like, ‘No. No. No. You have children on this app.’”
All jokes aside, Zaya remains grateful for her dad’s support for the LGBTQ+ community, especially after she came out as transgender.
“Honestly, him being raised in a traditional Black household in Chicago…the culture there isn’t very queer-friendly,” she said. “I hope that it will continue to inspire people to allow themselves to learn and understand queerness before bashing it.”
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