Dwyane Wade has won his biggest fight.
Over a month after the retired NBA player revealed he had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his kidney in 2023, his wife Gabrielle Union shared a heartfelt update on his health.
“He’s cancer free now,” the Bring It On actor told Access Hollywood on Feb. 27, adding she appreciated her husband’s choice in waiting a year to announce his diagnosis. “[That decision gave] us a little time to make peace with it and let all of our very intense fears dissipate a little bit, but he’s doing well.”
Gabrielle, 52, added their family, which includes 6-year-old daughter Kaavia James Union Wade, are “proud of him” for handling his health scare with grace, saying, “He was brave enough to not only go through all the things he needed to do to take care of his health, but to share it with the world and save other people.”
The former Miami Heat member—also dad to four other kids: nephew Dahveon Morris, 23; Zaire Wade, 22, and Zaya Wade, 17, with ex-wife Siovaughn Funches; and Xavier with ex Aja Metoyer—first shared his diagnosis on his self-titled podcast last month, noting he originally went to the doctor for uncomfortable cramping in his stomach and issues with his urine.
“I was like, ‘Doc, I want to know everything about my body,’” Dwyane, 43, recalled of his visit at the time. “Because I did the full body scan, they were able to see my entire insides [and that] something was on my kidney.”
He further explained that he had a cyst on his kidney and that it needed to be “surgically removed,” since it was too risky to go through a biopsy. “I have one kidney and have another that’s 60 percent,” he added. “They took 40 percent of my kidney to make sure they can get all of the cancer off it.”
As for Gabrielle, she recently offered more insight into her husband’s cancer journey and how they rallied around him as a family.
“To go through removal of a good chunk of his kidney and the healing that involved, he needed us to be ok with his vulnerability,” she told host Jenna Bush Hager on Today Feb. 26, adding he also did a lot of self-work while bracing through his diagnosis. “It was a challenge to give grace and receive it.”
Keep reading to see more of the couple’s sweetest moments….
All in the Family
Dwyane Wade celebrated the final game in his NBA career with Gabrielle Union and their daughter Kaavia Wade in 2019. The Miami Heats player was also joined by his nephew Dahveon Morris, his kids Zaire Wade and Zaya Wade (with ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches) and son Xavier Wade (with ex Aja Metoyer) for the momentous occasion.
Perfect Match
Gabrielle and Dwyane proved they go together like peanut butter and jelly on Halloween 2023. Meanwhile, their daughter Kaavia dressed up as Cinderella.
Bring On the Silly
The Bring It On actress snapped silly selfies with Kaavia on Mother's Day 2023.
Like Father, Like Son
Dwyane's oldest son Zaire captioned this 2022 photo of his dad holding up his Salt Lake City Stars jersey: "Leave a legacy."
Teenage Milestones
Dwyane and Gabby send Zaya, who the former NBA star shares with ex Siovaughn Funches, off to her school's winter formal in January 2023.
"Supporting each other for life’s big moments is key," the couple wrote in an Instagram post. "All the nerves, all the anxiety, all the fear… With loved ones by your side, no matter the challenge, we 10 toes down. Always."
Hair For It
"See @kaaviajames mama's got hair like yours," Gabrielle shared on Instagram in 2020. "When I took my braids out she was like... now mom & baby both rocking their natural curls."
Red Carpet Pro
While attending the 2019 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards, the couple's daughter Kaavia made her award show debut. Spoiler alert: She was a total pro.
Clap Backs
After celebrating Thanksgiving as a family, Dwyane took to Twitter to slam Internet trolls who had some not-so-nice comments.
"I've seen some post-thanksgiving hate on social about my family photo," he shared online. "Stupidity is apart of this world we live in—so i get it. But here's the thing—I've been chosen to lead my family not y'all. So we will continue to be us and support each other with pride, love & a smile!"
Snuggle Season
Gabrielle rang in her 50th birthday in 2022 with snuggles from Dwyane and Kaavia.
Sweet 16
The couple are all smiles as they celebrate Zaya's 16th birthday in May 2023.
Best Dressed
When it was time to celebrate Halloween 2019, Gabrielle and Dwyane knew just the look to pull off with their baby girl.
Round 2
But wait, there's more! The proud parents also transformed into another theme with their daughter Zaya.
Kids Come First
Dwyane praised Zaya amid criticism from online trolls.
"First of all, if you want to talk about strength and courage, my 12-year-old has way more than I have," he shared on the All the Smoke podcast in 2019. "You can learn something from your kids. In my household, man, that's all we talk about. We talk about making sure our kids are seen by each of us, me and my wife, We talk about making sure our kids understand the power in their voice."
Ultimate Defenders
After Gabrielle was fired from America's Got Talent in 2019, Dwyane absolutely had his wife's back. "'Men lie, Women lie, numbers don't,'" he shared on Twitter after the news broke. "Over this past year I've been approaching by many people saying that my wife @itsgabrielleu is the main reason they've started watching #AGT or that they love her insight and sincerity on the show."