During a recent conversation on Hoda Kotb’s Making Space podcast, NBA legend Dwyane Wade spoke candidly about a personal and emotional chapter in his life—his cancer diagnosis and the decision of who he wanted by his side during surgery.
The moment he learned he needed surgery, Wade didn’t hesitate about who he wanted in the room with him beforehand. His choice wasn’t his wife or a close friend—it was his father, Dwyane Wade Sr.
“I chose my dad. He’s the guy for me. He’s always been,” Wade explained. “It’s crazy because I’m a mama’s boy, all those things, but my dad has been there.”
Although his wife Gabrielle Union was at the hospital offering her support, Wade described why his father was the one he needed by his side in that vulnerable moment.
“I just thought about actually who I wanted to see in my most vulnerable state. 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,” Wade said. “I was like, ‘I need my dad.’”
Wade also reflected on how his father’s health journey brought them closer. Years earlier, Wade Sr. had faced prostate cancer, a challenge that unexpectedly deepened their connection.
“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 shared.
That experience sparked more open and personal conversations between the two, including light-hearted moments amid serious topics.
“And so we started being able to share personal things,” he continued. “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’s story reveals not only the gravity of his health scare but also the strength of family ties and how moments of fear can bring people even closer together.