Retired NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade takes great pride in his role as a devoted father, extending his care not only to his biological children but also to his nephew, whom he serves as a full-time guardian.
Although Wade feels confident in his parenting skills, navigating the complexities of a blended family has presented its challenges under the watchful gaze of the public eye.
One example is the recent outing to an L.A. Lakers game with his son Xavier Wade. The 2005 NBA champion and Finals MVP took the son he shares with Aja Métoyer to see LeBron James play live in celebration of the boy’s 10th birthday.
Many people took note and mocked Wade on social media for not appearing to spend as much time with Xavier as he does with his two older children, Zaire and Zaya, with his ex-wife, Siohvaughn Funches, his daughter, Kaavia James, whom he shares with Gabrielle Union, or his nephew, Dahveon Morris.
“He is finally spending time with the break baby,” one person commented, noting that Xavier was born during a time when Wade and Union seemingly took a break from their relationship. It also appears that fans have been speculating about the two “splitting up” for weeks now.
Subsequently, after the social media ridicule, the former Miami Heat guard shared a video of Deion Sanders talking about himself as a father, ignoring fan gossip.
“I’m a great dad,” the University of Colorado football coach says in the clip. “As a dad, I’m a great dad. Let’s stop right there. As a dad, I am balling. As a dad, I’m a Hall of Famer. As a dad, I’m an All-American. As a dad, I’m a Pro Bowler. As a dad, I’m a flat-out winner. As a dad, exclamation mark! I’m him.”
Social media stalkers saw the post shared in Wade’s story and linked his overemphasis on being a dad to an intent to distract from rumors about him and Union.
One person commented, “Just in case those rumors hold any truth— ‘don’t do it’ work it out, keep your family together.”
It seems that the family is intact, with the busy couple linking up just weeks ago to take their little girl trick-or-treating for Halloween.
The parents went out as Peanut Butter (Wade) and Strawberry Jelly (Union), while Kaavia was dressed as a princess.
Wade captioned the post featuring photos and video showing Tia Mowry, Scottie Pippen, and their children with the internet’s “Shady Baby,” “Our princess everyday of the year.”
However, his comment section did not favor the same way, as they suggested that there was trouble in paradise based on their facial expressions.
“Gabrielle does look like she’s hurt. Something just don’t seem right if you have discernment you could see it. I pray all is well.”
One other agreed and said, “You don’t look happy Gab lean on God for everything and ask him to keep you protected.”
Others, tired of all of the negative talk, questioned why people are reading into her fierce face and jam-covered bread modeling.
“Why are people speculating how Gabrielle is feeling? I think she’s just striking a pose,” one person said.
While people are all up in the Wade-Union business, the actress is living her best life, according to her Instagram. In addition to celebrating her sister Tracy Union’s birthday, she is hitting the town looking amazing and chasing her coin.
