Family is everything to Dwyane Wade, and he made sure to include special shout-outs to his loved ones during his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday.
2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony
The retired NBA star had several family and friends in the audience of his big day, including wife Gabrielle Union and their daughter Kaavia James, 4, as well as his kids Zaya, 16, Zaire, 21, and nephew Dahveon Morris, 21. “Thank you all for being there for me and for loving me in the most perfect way possible. I appreciate you guys and I love y’all,” he said, per PEOPLE, also addressing his friends Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Allen Iverson — who presented Wade with the award. His parents, Jolinda Wade and Dwyane Wade, Sr., were also in attendance.
Dressed to Impress
Everyone looked amazing at the event. Zaya was dressed in a black mini-dress with sheer sleeves, her long black hair curled and parted in the middle. Kaavia had pink beads in her braids and looked adorable in a white dress accessorized with a tiny pink purse. Wade wore an all-red tux for the red carpet, and Zaire wore a blue pin-striped suit with sunglasses and a white watch. Union wore a long black dress with cut-out cups over her breasts. Jolinda opted for a rainbow dress, and Wade, Sr. was dressed in a green suit. Morris wore black pants and a green polo shirt.
Shout-Out to Gabrielle Union
During the speech, Wade spent some time praising his wife.
“And my wife Gab, would you please stand. Thank you for making our house a home,” he said, per PEOPLE.
“Thank you for making sure our kids feel seen, heard and protected when I’m not around. Thank you for learning every ref’s name in the NBA and for screaming at them so I didn’t have to — saved a lot of fine money,” he joked.
“I know I’m traveling for work this year during our anniversary, so I want to say, thank you for being on this journey for me — with me, these past 15 years. Thank you for learning to love my imperfections, just as much as we enjoyed and love the moments of perfection. I love you.”
Gabrielle Union Is Always ‘By His Side’
Union, who held Kaavia up during Wade’s speech, shared a video of the heartfelt moment on Instagram.
“By his side through it all 🤞🏾,” she captioned a post with the video and several photos from the event.
She shared more behind-the-scenes footage from the event, including the family posing together on the red carpet, which she captioned: “The type you remember forever 😉.”
Dwyane Wade Shared Love for Dwyane Wade, Sr.
At one point, he praised his dad. The Miami Heat alum said, per PEOPLE, “I started this off thanking you, and I want to end it the same way. I owe you a debt of gratitude that I will never be able to repay. When I would cry and say, ‘I can’t,’ you made me go harder. You pushed me to limits that I didn’t know were inside of me. The hard work I put in is because I didn’t want to let you down.”
He went on to say that his dad had the “same exact dream” with the “same exact name” as him. “To know we hustled all the way to the Basketball Hall of Fame is God’s will. So pops, I know your knees are a little sore, but will you join me on stage as we take our rightful step into basketball heaven?”
The two men embraced and shared some love on stage, ending with Wade saying, “We in the Hall of Fame, dawg!”
He also shared a video of the moment on Instagram, writing, “Legacy. We in the Hall of Fame dawg 🥹⚡️.”
Shady Baby Chimed In
Kaavia (aka, Shady Baby!) shared her own post to honor her dad on an Instagram account run by her parents.
“Here to celebrate Daddy … and me 💓,” she wrote. She also shared several photos and videos, including one clip of her running up the steps at the red carpet, beautiful braids bouncing; one photo of her sitting next to her mama at the awards show, legs crossed like a proper lady; and a video of her dancing with her dad down the hallway before the after party.
During the after party, she changed to Minnie Mouse Crocs and danced the night away. Such a cutie!
“My baby 😍,” Wade commented.
He never misses a chance to praise his family, and we love him all the more for it!
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