Dwyane Wade Fires Back at Ex-Wife Over 'Damaging Lies' That He's Trying to Make Money From Their Trans Child

By BERT HOOVER First Posted: Nov 04, 2022 03:22 AM EDT

Former NBA player Dwyane Wade on Thursday responded to accusations from his ex-wife that he was trying to make money from their transgender daughter's "name and gender change."

On Tuesday, Siohvaughn Funches asked the court to deny her ex-husband's petition to change their daughter's name legally. According to NBC, Zaya, their 15-year-old child, came out as trans in 2020.

Wade filed a petition at the Los Angeles County Superior Court in August to have his child's name legally changed from Zion to Zaya Wade. In a statement he posted to Instagram, Wade said his ex-wife's "harmful allegations" have "hurt our children."

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The former Miami Heat star noted that the former Miami Heat star "tried a similar attempt over a decade ago (with equally damaging lies and causing irreparable harm to her children), and 13 lawyers later, I was awarded sole custody of our two kids as an active NBA player."

Wade said he wanted to have his parenting time uninterrupted, as he knew it would be challenging for their kids to explore their new normal.

Wade noted that he let Funches-Wade talk to and get to know Zaya's teachers, doctors, therapists, and friends, but she has not been to any school events or taken part in any of them.

"No one in our home would ever force Zaya or any of our children to do anything against their will, much less force an identity on them," he said.

Wade continued to say that he had been talking with his attorney. A court hearing is scheduled for the case on December 12.

Dwyane Wade's Trans Child Gets Her Family's Full Support

Since Zaya came out as trans, Dwayne Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union, have been publicly supportive of her transition. During a 2020 interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Wade talked about how proud he was of his daughter.

"Me and my wife, we are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ-plus community," Dwayne said at the time. "We're proud allies as well. We take our roles and our responsibility as parents very seriously."

Wade also revealed in an interview with "Good Morning America" in 2020 that Zaya realized she was transgender when she was three years old.

"I knew early on that I had to check myself... I've been a person in the locker room that has been a part of the conversation that has said the wrong phrases and the wrong words myself," he said.

The couple expressed their public support for Zaya's transition in various interviews. Wade told NBC's "TODAY" show last year that Zaya was like any other youngster.

On Thursday, he said Zaya "is a kid who has maintained a 4.0 GPA in honors classes while navigating all this unsolicited and harmful attention and debates about her gender and sexuality."

Siohvaughn Funches Slaps Dwyane Wade With Harsh Accusations Over Zaya Wade's Gender Change

Siohvaughn Funches tried to stop Dwayne Wade's request to change Zaya's name. She said she was concerned that the former NBA star might be pressuring their child to do it to earn money from business opportunities that Zaya was offered.

She claimed that Wade told her that he wanted to make their child famous through gender and name change, telling her that there would be contracts and endorsements that come with it.

Funches also claimed that Wade had breached their custody agreement and pleaded with the Los Angeles court to drop the former NBA star's petition.

She noted that she was concerned about the effects of media exposure on Zaya and that the child should wait until she turns 18 to decide if she wants to legally change her name.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Dwyane Wade Responds to Ex-Wife's Objection to Daughter Zaya Changing Her Name - From PEOPLE