Dwyane Wade and his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches don’t see eye to eye.
The retired NBA player wants to support his transgender daughter, Zaya Wade, and legally change her name. Zaya was born a male named Zion Malachi Airamis Wade and wants to be Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade officially.
Siohvaughn filed a petition claiming the name change wasn’t in Zaya’s best interests. She asked the judge to stop it. She claims Dwyane violated their custody agreement by attempting to change their daughter’s name legally. In addition, she feels Dwyane has ulterior motives and wants financial gain from Zaya.
During Siohvaughn’s last court appearance, she presented a copy of the former couple’s divorce judgment. It says Dwyane must discuss “the major decisions affecting the care, welfare, activities, health, education, and religious upbringing of their two children.” Radar Online reports, “Again, the deal did not state the ex-NBA star had to obtain approval for any medical decision over their children.”
In Dwyane’s recent court hearing, he pointed out that although Siohvaughn submitted their divorce/custody agreement, she left some things out. According to the publication:
“He claimed she failed to include pages that provided a detailed account of ‘Siohvaughn’s years-long campaign against Dwyane and her efforts to prevent Dwyane from having any relationship with his children.”
In Dwayne’s defense, he was granted sole custody. The mother ultimately wants a judge to intervene and make Zaya wait until she’s 18 to change her name legally. They head to trial next week.
In 2020, when Zaya was 12, she revealed her truth to the world. That same year, Dwayne appeared on The Ellen Show and spoke about supporting his daughter. Since then, Dwyane and his wife, Gabrielle Union, have been Zaya’s ride or dies.
Hopefully, they can work this out peacefully!