Dwyane Wade thanks Mike Tyson for defending his daughter over Boosie Badazz’s transphobic comments

‘It was great to hear him say that’, says Wade

Dwyane Wade has opened up about Mike Tyson defending his daughter Zaya after rapper Boosie Badazz made transphobic comments about her.

Wade’s daughter, Zaya, came out as transgender earlier this year and confirmed she would be using female pronouns. However rapper Boosie Badazz criticised Wade and his wife, Gabrille Union, over their decision to support Zaya’s decision and intentionally misgendered her on social media.  

Tyson later challenged the rapper on his remarks during a podcast and it didn’t go unnoticed by Wade and his family.

During an interview with Central Ave, Wade said he “appreciated” Tyson for speaking up.

“I actually talked to Mike about that early in the pandemic,” the former pro basketball player said.

“We had a conversation. I appreciated from a standpoint of, you know, Mike is someone who has never tried to be perfect. He is someone who has learned from this journey of life.”

Wade continued: “He’s so smart. He is so educated and knowledgeable about life.

“For him to be able to drop that nugget on the world, to me, it was great to hear him say that.”

Wade, who shared Zaya’s story on the Ellen Show in February, went on to explain how he has never hit back at trolls who discuss his family.  

“They don’t know us,” he said, adding: “They don’t know our heart. They definitely don’t know Zaya. So, all I do is what my mama say: ‘Just pray for them’.”  

In the summer, Tyson called out Badazz during an episode of his Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson podcast for making transphobic comments regarding Zaya.

“I really commented on the Dwyane Wade situation because I got offended because it's a child,” Badazz tried to explain. “That's really why I got offended.”

As the rapper continued to try and defend himself, Tyson eventually asked: “What happened to you that you think that you’re somebody that can comment on somebody’s life?”

Wade, who is also father to two-year-old Kaavia James, seven-year-old Xavier Zechariah and 19-year-old Zaire, previously told People magazine that his hopes for Zaya are the same as for his other children.

“For them to see their full potential,” he said.

“As I’m raising [Zaya], as I’m raising my kids, you just try to put them in the best situations to be able to succeed in life.

“How I do that, and how me and my wife decide to do that, may be different than another family, but we want them to know there’s always unconditional love, that it will always be support.”

Wade concluded: “We’ve got you, no matter what. And we see you. I see you how you see you.”