Dwyane Wade on his new book, marriage and legendary NBA career: "I kept fighting because it was my dream"
For 16 years, NBA all-star Dwyane Wade gave everything he had to the game of basketball. Day in and day out, he played in front of thousands of fans until his retirement in 2019 — and Wade says performing on the hardwood is what he misses the most about the game.
"I miss making a shot and seeing 20,000 people stand up, and I know they're going to go home and their dinner [is] going to be better. Their relationship is going to be better. Like, I understand, like what sports do," Wade told "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King.
Since retiring from basketball, Wade has been busier than ever — as a father, entrepreneur and author.
Wade is out with a new photographic memoir called "Dwyane." It features more than 200 behind-the-scenes images by photographer Bob Metelus of Wade's life on and off the court.
On the court, Wade became a Miami sports legend after he, along with LeBron James and Chris Bosh, helped bring three NBA championships to South Florida with the Miami Heat. They were known as "The Big Three" and soon became family and made an impact on the game beyond what was on the scoreboard.
"Those [are] my brothers. You understand that changed the way the game is viewed, that changed the way that players are viewed from a player empowerment standpoint, When all three of us made the decision as young Black men to say 'You know what, we're going to take our destiny in our future, in our own hands,'" he said.
Wade is considered a future Hall of Famer and has been named one of the 75 best players in league history. But Wade said those titles and all his accolades are not the most important thing in his life — his family is.
"I've accomplished a lot of amazing things, but I don't feel, I don't feel the joy that I feel when my kids accomplish something as simple as bringing home a test and being happy that they got an A on a Spanish test. The joy in me to see the joy in them is priceless, and this is something that I knew my whole life," said Wade.
He has four children, including 14-year-old daughter, Zaya. She came out as transgender last year and Wade said she has been his "greatest teacher." He said that it wasn't hard to accept her because he loved her. He credits his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, for being able to care for Zaya in a way he couldn't.
"Her care with Zaya, her hand on Zaya was way different than mine, and so I learned how to be, you know, a little bit softer. I learned how to not come in with so much aggression and overtalking. I learned how to sit back and actually listen," Wade said.
Wade and Union have been together for 13 years and have been married since 2014. Wade said because of their love and respect for each other, they have been able to overcome the challenges of marriage.
"It's hard, it's work, but ultimately, that's my best friend and that's my partner. What we feel kind of holds and the test of times is friendship is growing and evolving together," Wade said. "She brings me up, pulls me up when I'm not ready to grow and I do the same for her. And so we kind of grow at the same time, and it's not, you know, we're not leaving each other behind."
Wade said his dream now is to make sure his kids have "opportunities to go off and be and do whatever they want." Wade, who has loved basketball since his childhood, said he left the game with "no regrets."
"This is a game that I fought very hard to play. My mom went to jail when I was nine. My dad was in and out of jail. Growing up, I did not pass my ACT test to go to college. I had a baby in college," he said. "Like all these things that will stop you from reaching your goals, and I kept fighting. I kept fighting because it was my dream."