Former Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade’s ex-wife is accusing him of pressuring his underage son to change his name and be officially recognized as a transgender girl so that he can make money.
Born Zion Malachi Airamis Wade, the 15-year-old is seeking to change his name to Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade officially and says he identifies as a transgender girl.
Dwayne Wade filed a legal request for the name change in August.
“When I look at Zaya, I get hope,” Wade said, explaining that they raised their children to be “authentic.”
Zion Wade and Dwyane Wade attend Dwyane Wade’s 16-Year NBA Career Celebration Dinner on April 8, 2019, in Miami, Florida. (Bobby Metelus/Getty Images)
But Wade’s ex-wife, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, 41, says there is more to it than “being authentic.” She alleges that Dwayne is indulging the teen’s wishes because there is a lot of money to be made from endorsement deals.
Funches-Wade says that her ex-husband “is positioned to profit from the minor child’s name and gender change with various companies through contacts and marketing opportunities including but not limited to deals with Disney,” according to PageSix.
“I have concerns that [Wade] may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies,” she continued.
US actress Gabrielle Union (2L) and her husband, former professional basketball player Dwayne Wade pose with daughters Zaya Wade (L) and Kaavia James Union Wade (2R) as they arrive for the “Cheaper by the Dozen” Disney premiere at the El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, California, March 16, 2022. (CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
The teen’s mother also said that Wade has already admitted that “a lot of money had been already made” off the child’s transition.
“[Wade] told me that he intended to make our child very famous due to the name and gender issue and also informed me that there would be endorsements/contracts associated therewith,” she said.
Funches-Wade also said her son was present for at least one meeting with Disney.
“Zion, who was present at the time, answered that various companies were interested and that Disney was a prospective company,” she claimed.
Dwyane Wade has brought Zion to many events, interviews, and appearances since the teen began talking about transitioning.
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