Dwyane Wade is opening up about one of the most vulnerable moments of his life — just before undergoing cancer surgery. In a rare candid reflection, the NBA legend revealed who he chose to have by his side in the pre-op room.
“I chose my dad,” Wade, 43, said on Hoda Kotb’s podcast Making Space about his father Dwyane Wade Sr. “He’s the guy, for me. He’s always been. It’s crazy because I’m a mama’s boy, all those things, but my dad has been there.”
Wade’s wife, actress Gabrielle Union, was also at the hospital as he prepared for cancer surgery but the NBA Hall of Famer had a mental game plan in place to navigate the difficult experience.
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“I just thought about actually who I wanted to see in my most vulnerable state,” Wade said. “And it was my dad. I wanted my wife to see me when I woke up, I wanted her to be the first person I saw, but in my most vulnerable state, when I was probably as scared as I’ve ever been, I wanted my dad to be there. I was like, ‘I need my dad.’”
Earlier this year, Wade shared on his The WY Network podcast that he had 40% of his right kidney removed in December 2023 following the discovery of a cancerous tumor.
The former NBA star said his father’s battle with prostate cancer served as a major motivator to prioritize his own health.
“My dad shared with me when he was going through prostate cancer, and I think we got closer through that process because I [was] obviously concerned about him, but we started communicating more because this was something that was a part of our genetic genes as men in our family,” Wade told Kotb.
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He continued, “And so we started being able to share personal things. Like, I would call my dad after I left the hospital, like, ‘Yo, I just got a prostate exam, Pops, and the doctor did this,’ and he’ll laugh and say, ‘Oh yeah, that’s nothing. She just wanted to do this.’ We just got close when his prostate cancer [was being treated].”
Wade has consistently celebrated his father’s influence, most memorably during his emotional Hall of Fame induction in August 2023—just months before undergoing cancer surgery.
On stage, Wade tearfully thanked his dad, invited him up, and declared, “We in the Hall of Fame, dawg!”
