Dwyane Wade Speaks About Respecting Child Zion's Preferred Pronouns: "I Got to Get Smarter & Educate Myself More"

The former Miami Heat star spoke on their relationship on SHOWTIME's All the Smoke podcast.

Dwyane Wade recently spoke about his child Zion's gender expression on SHOWTIME's All the Smoke podcast this week. Over the course of an hour, Wade joined Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson to discuss Wade's time in Miami, life in retirement and his family. One specific clip —regarding Wade's second-eldest child Zion — has gotten the most attention.

Wade spoke candidly about conversations with his wife around the time Zion was three years old. He said self-reflection prepared him to embrace his child's sexuality and gender expression. "I had to look myself in the mirror," Wade said, "and say 'what if your son comes home and tells you he's gay? What are you going to do? It ain't about him, he knows who he is. Who are you?"

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"I've watched my son from day one," he said, eventually correcting himself, "become into who she now eventually has come into. For me, nothing changes but my love. Nothing changes but my responsibilities. The only thing I got to do is get smarter and educate myself more. And that's my job."

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Barnes had asked Wade about winning custody of his two oldest children post-divorce, which led to a general conversation about fatherhood as a professional athlete. Eventually, the conversation progressed to his second-eldest, Zion. Barnes noted how publicly supportive Wade's family is of Zion. "With [Zion] being comfortable enough to come out," Barnes continued, "it gives me chills because the negative backlash you got really bothered me."

SOURCE: SHOWTIME Basketball - YouTube