Dwyane Wade and his daughter Zaya at the premiere of "Cheaper by the Dozen," March 16, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello, Chris Pizzello)
Dwyane Wade is hitting back at his ex-wife, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, for what he called “serious and harmful accusations” she made about how he parents their 15-year-old daughter Zaya.
The NBA superstar took to Instagram on Thursday to address recent insinuations made by 41-year-old Funches-Wade about Zaya, who’s trans.
Wade, 40, has been an outspoken LGBTQ ally and a fierce transgender rights advocate ever since Zaya announced that she was going to start living as her true self in 2020 at the age of 12.
Earlier this week, his ex-wife filed a petition in Los Angeles court objecting to an initial petition, which had been filed by Wade in August, to legally change the 15-year-old’s name.
“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,” she alleged in the petition, according to People.
Early Thursday morning, the three-time NBA champion said in a lengthy Instagram post that while he was on a ”life-changing trip in our motherland Africa,” he received a “social media post about me forcing our 15-year-old child to be someone she’s not and to do something against her will,” adding the accusations “have hurt our children.”
“While none of us are surprised by Siohvaughn’s attempt to fight Zaya’s identity and her unwavering attempt to drag my name through the mud, I’m very disappointed that she continuously find[s] ways of centering herself and HER needs, without regard to her children,” he added.
Noting that Funches-Wade hasn’t made “any sacrifice or effort to participate in her children’s lives in over a decade,” he added that “no one in our house would ever force Zaya or any of our children to do anything against their will, much less force an identity on them.”
“This isn’t a game for my family and definitely not for Zaya. This is her life,” he added.
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Originally published at Tribune News Service