Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union support son Zion at Miami Pride
NBA star Dwyane Wade showed support for his son, who attended Miami Pride with his stepmother Gabrielle Union and his family. (dwyanewade/Instagram)
NBA star Dwyane Wade has celebrated his son Zion’s participation at the annual Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade, receiving praise from his fans for being a supportive father.
The Miami Heat legend posted several pictures on his Instagram account, where he has 13 million followers strong, on Sunday (April 7) showing his 11-year-old son attending the Pride festivities with his family, including stepmother, actress Gabrielle Union, older brother Zaire, and his baby stepsister, Kaavia.
“We support each other with Pride!” Wade wrote as the caption of one of the pictures, showing his wife with her arm around Zion, who is wearing a rainbow ribbon on his tank top.
“Wish I was there to see you smile.”
— Dwyane Wade
“Zion had his on [sic] cheering section today. Wish i was there to see you smile,” Wade wrote in another story, showing Zion surrounded by his family at Pride. Wade was in Toronto, where the Miami Heat were playing against the Toronto Raptors.
Zion’s brother Zaire also posted pictures of him with his sibling at Pride on his Instagram account, writing: “Love you lil bro no matter what.”
Union posted a video of her and Zion on one of the parade’s floats, singing to Bruno Mars’s “Finesse,” both wearing rainbow accessories.
Wade and Union’s support for their son at Miami Pride received warm praise
Social media users were delighted to see Wade and Union supporting their son at Miami Pride.
“Our hearts are beaming with #Pride after @DwyaneWade shared photos of his son, Zion, at Miami Beach Pride with his stepmom, Gabrielle Union,” the LGBT+ rights group Human Rights Campaign tweeted.
“this brought tears to my eyes. a prominent black athlete and prominent black actress embracing and accepting their son for who he is and loving him regardless. simply beautiful,” wrote one Twitter user who was among the first to spot and share Wade’s Instagram story. The tweet got nearly 20,000 replies and received more than 70,000 likes.
Twitter users praised Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union for supporting Zion at Miami Pride. (KiAirUh/Twitter)
The Twitter user added: “I don’t think he has come out as anything, however he has full support of his family while finding himself, which is the entire point of this post. most black kids don’t get that, and it’s beautiful to see. so stop w/ the ‘oh he gay gay,’ or ‘I knew he was gay’ comments.”
“I wish I had this. This would’ve made my childhood immensely better,” one person wrote, reacting to the post.
Another Twitter user addressed the negative comments some people were writing on social media: “I see people saying ‘so Dwayne Wade’s son gay already?’ Y’all do realize being lgbtq is not a choice you can be gay at 2 It’s just who we are…NO ONE IN THIS WORLD WOKE UP ONE DAY AND WAS JUST LIKE ‘welp I’m gonna be gay today’ noone. Sad how people think.”
Wade is not the only NBA star who supports LGBT+ rights. Last year, Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson’s son EJ Johnson recalled how his father showed him love after he came out to him, while Detroit Pistons player Reggie Bullock discussed his support for LGBT+ equality in January, while opening up about the 2014 murder of his transgender sister Mia Henderson.
