If there’s one NBA star who’s got his hands in everything without being Shaq or MJ, it’s Dwyane Wade. Fresh off turning heads at the Met Gala, the 3x champ is making waves again—but this time, in the world of beauty and fragrance. He just linked up with one of the biggest perfume brands out there. But here’s the twist: behind all the glam, there’s something he’s been quietly chasing for decades. A dream born from childhood, tied to scent, family, and something way more personal than basketball.

Wade has always had a deep connection with fragrances, and now he’s taking that passion to the next level as the new face of Aramis—the iconic scent under the $21.7 billion umbrella of Estée Lauder Companies. He made the big reveal at the Met Gala itself—announcing he’d be the face of “Intuition by Aramis,” just hours before walking fashion’s biggest stage. Talk about timing. The campaign drops this summer, but the moment felt much bigger. This was 43 years of dreaming finally turning into reality. But the way he introduced it at home? Surprisingly low-key.

Turns out, before the big reveal, Wade kept it real quiet, even at home. On his podcast Time Out with Dwyane Wade, he shared how he didn’t tell Gabrielle Union, his wife, a word about his partnership with Estée Lauder’s Aramis. “I don’t tell everybody everything that I’m doing,” he admitted. “So I didn’t tell my wife I was doing this at first. I just started wearing it to see what she would say.” And the way he tells it? It’s classic husband mischief—testing out his cologne in her bathroom, just waiting for the reaction.

And sure enough, it worked. “So when she hit me a couple times with a (sniffs), ‘What’s that? What you wearing?’ I’m like, ‘Something I’m working on,’” Wade said, laughing. That “something” turned out to be a sleek, unisex fragrance he proudly promoted as “for the grown men out there—and for the women.” He added, “It’s 2025, everybody. It’s going to be global. The campaign comes out… it’s a pretty cool campaign.” He has bottled a piece of his story and has shared it with the world.

But why is this so special for Wade? He’s already built a powerful business portfolio—fashion, wine, media, you name it. So what makes this different?

Dwyane Wade’s childhood dream came true

Wade’s new venture into fragrance isn’t just a career move—it’s the fulfillment of a childhood dream. “It has always been a dream of mine to be in a fragrance campaign,” he shared, hours before unveiling his new role with Aramis. Wade’s earliest memories of fragrance are tied to his dad, who wore Cool Water, a scent that left a lasting impression on the young Wade. “Watching my dad put it on showed me how important fragrance is,” Wade said, reflecting on the significance of scent and how it shapes our connections with others. That memory, that moment with his father, was the spark that ignited Wade’s lifelong passion for fragrance.

Growing up in Chicago, Wade and his brothers learned from their father the importance of leaving a lasting impression—through scent. “I’m an everyday fragrance wearer,” Wade explained. “It’s wash my face, brush my teeth, put fragrance on. I want other people to have a memory of me through scent.” It wasn’t just about smelling good for Wade—it was about creating an unforgettable experience for others. This practice, passed down from his father, stuck with Wade and became an essential part of his everyday life. And now, years later, Wade’s taking that childhood ritual to the next level by partnering with one of the most iconic fragrance brands—Aramis.

In fact, Wade’s passion for fragrance runs deep, so much so that he once joked about his love for Tom Ford’s Private Blend White Suede Eau de Parfum, saying, “I love this cologne because it smells like my sweat. Just kidding! It is how I imagine my sweat would smell if I were to sweat cologne. It has a sweet yet manly musk smell that stays with me all day.” It’s this attention to detail and his desire to make an impact that make his role with Aramis so fitting.

He didn’t need a billboard or a press release—just a subtle spray and Gabrielle’s curious sniff. That’s how you know this scent, like his story, hits home.