Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade is currently in the midst of a heated battle with Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, his ex-wife, that involves their daughter Zaya.
Of course, the younger Wade came out as transgender many years ago and received lots of love and support for her decision. Naturally, she also received lots of hate online and has been on the receiving end of lots of harmful messages in recent years.
After Funches-Wade responded to the elder Wade filing a petition to legally change the younger Wade’s name and gender by filing a petition of her own objecting the move, the elder Wade released a very strong statement via Instagram.
Funches-Wade responded to the elder Wade’s words, calling them “derogatory,” “hurtful” and “untrue” in an email to NBC News. She also stated that she will continue to “love and protect” her children and do what is best for them.
“I will also continue to do what the laws of this land allow me to do as a parent with the parental right and power under the constitution in courts of law and not the court of public opinion,” she wrote in the email.
In her petition, Funches-Wade claimed that the elder Wade pressured their child into the move and is “positioned to profit” from the changes.
It seems a little unreasonable to think that the elder Wade pressured his daughter into the changes for monetary reasons. He made a little under $200 million during his playing career, which ended in 2019, and continues to market himself well. He’s currently a part owner of the Utah Jazz.
The situation involving the elder Wade, his daughter and Funches-Wade is definitely a very troubling one. While the younger Wade continues to get tons of love and support from her father and his wife Gabrielle Union, she seemingly hasn’t gotten the same type of backing from her mother since coming out as trans.
The 13-time All-Star and Funches-Wade, who also have a son together, were married for many years before reaching a divorce settlement in 2013. That lengthy legal battle took many ugly twists and turns over multiple years.
It’s clear that this situation is something that the three-time champion won’t let go of lightly. He appears to be fed up with the actions and words of his ex-wife. It seems like Funches-Wade is just as passionate about the situation and holds a strong distaste for her ex-husband.
Hopefully, a peaceful resolution can be reached in the near future.