Dwyane Wade is supporting his daughter, Zaya Wade in every way.
The NBA legend has reportedly filed to have Zaya’s name to be legally changed from Zion to Zaya since she is openly transgender as well as asked the Los Angeles County Court judge to approve a gender change from male to female.
The court documents also address Zaya’s mother, Siovaughn Funches, stating that Wade has the right to make this decision for their daughter.
“Pursuant to the terms of the Final Custody Judgment, (Wade) has full authority to make decisions on behalf of the petitioning minor, and he is not required to receive consent from Ms. Funches-Wade. As a courtesy, Ms. Funches-Wade has received notice of this petition.”
Zaya’s request to change her name and gender was confirmed by Wade, as he explained in an interview.
“Our (then) 12-year-old… came home and said, ‘Hey, I want to you guys,’ then asked to be called, Zaya.” He also added, “We’re just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self.”
He went on the give his daughter praise for how strong and confident she has been throughout this journey. “I went years without telling my chef that I don’t like cilantro on my burger- as an adult, it took me years to have the confidence to say that…My daughter, at 8 years old, had the confidence to say, ‘This is who I am. This is who I want to be.”