How Many Kids Does Dwyane Wade Have? The Retired NBA Star Has More Children Than You Might Think

Dwyane Wade has been in the news a lot lately. It makes sense, considering the former NBA superstar has an ESPN documentary coming out on Feb. 23 called D. Wade: Life Unexpected. However, Dwyane has also been in the spotlight in recent months because of his children.

Plenty of people know that the former Miami Heat shooting guard is married to actress Gabrielle Union — and that the couple share a young daughter. Fans are likely also aware of Dwyane's basketball-player older son and his transgender daughter. (Simply because of their "news-worthiness.") But that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his family.

In reality, Dwyane has four biological children in addition to having custody of his teenage nephew. That's quite a houseful of kiddos, if you ask me. Let's take a look at each of Dwayne's kids and explore a little bit about each of them.

Zaire's mom is Siohvaughn Funches, Dwaynes's high school sweetheart and ex-wife. The 18-year-old is a high school senior — and he seems the most likely of Dwyane's kids to follow in his footsteps. Already, he has had a number of colleges offering him spots on their team.

On Feb. 4, Dwyane took to Instagram to wish his firstborn a happy birthday. "February, 4th, 2002 I remember feeling every emotion known to man. I didn’t know if i could be the father you needed at the age of 20 but i did know I would do any and everything in my power to make sure your life would be different," the proud papa wrote. "Thanks for never holding me to perfection and allowing me to make mistakes. 18 is only the beginning of this amazing life that God has in store for you."

Zaya is Dwyane and Siohvaughn's second-born child. She was originally born with the name Zion, but has since come out as transgender — which is something both Dwyane and Gabrielle have publicly addressed and supported in recent months. 

During a February appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Dwayne opened up about his daughter's gender identity and how his family has approached it.

"Zaya, our 12-year-old, came home and said, 'Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward I'm ready to live my truth. And I want to be referenced as 'she and 'her.' I would love for you guys to call me Zaya,'" he told Ellen. "And so internally, now it's our job to go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship that we have."

Gabrielle also shared her support for Zaya via Instagram — by "introducing" her followers to her step-daughter. "Meet Zaya," the actress wrote alongside a video of the 12-year-old talking about living her truth. "She's compassionate, loving, whip smart and we are so proud of her. It’s Ok to listen to, love & respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people."

Dahveon isn't technically Dwyane's child — but he is the former NBA star's biological nephew. In 2014, Dwyane was awarded full custody of Dahveon by a Florida judge. It's worth nothing that Dwayne's sister and Dahveon's mom, Deanna Morris, still has parental rights. However, Dwayne has been raising his nephew since then. (Dahveon is pictured on the far right, below.) 

It's clear that athleticism runs in the family because Dahveon also has some impressive basketball skills.

It's a bit complicated, but Xavier is the child of Dwayne and Basketball Wives star, Aja Metoyerin, who is a longtime friend of the retired NBA star. (Dwyane and Gabrielle were taking a break from their relationship when Xavier was conceived.) Xavier was born on Nov. 10, 2013 — which is shortly before Dwayne proposed to Gabrielle.

In his upcoming documentary, Dwayne addresses this difficult time in his and Gabrielle's relationship. “I had a child with someone else and I had to tell her. Hardest thing I’ve ever had to do is man up and tell Gabrielle Union that I’ve had a child with somebody else,” he explains, according toEntertainment Tonight. “I couldn’t sleep. I wasn’t eating.”

After struggling for years with infertility — including multiple IVF attempts and "eight or nine" miscarriages stemming from Gabrielle's adenomyosis diagnosis — Dwyane and Gabrielle welcomed a daughter they named Kaavia via surrogate in  November 2018.

“She looks just like Dad, but I’d like to think the attitude is from me,” Gabrielle told People in February 2019. “She will stare into your soul and tell you about yourself through her eyes.”

One thing's for sure: With five kids between the ages of 1 and 18 living under one roof, Dwyane and Gabrielle definitely have their hands full these days. And you know what? They seem to be doing an amazing job.