It’s been more than a decade since Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union got married. Recently, she spoke about 2023 being a “very hard” year due to her husband’s cancer diagnosis. The Bring it On star also hyped up their partnership with a message on Instagram: “still the one ❤.” But did you know that during their wedding ceremony, the couple did a special act at the 52-year-old’s request?

On Sherri’s show, Gabrielle Union shared how the viral handshake from their wedding happened and that it was her idea all along. “It was mine because he you know at the time he was playing for the Heat.” She continued, “It was during the LeBron years when they were, you know they won all the Championships and they gone to the finals. But he had an individual handshake for each you know, teammate. And I was like, ‘Well we about to be life teammates; I need a handshake, and so we got a handshake.”

But Dwyane Wade’s wife also put another condition, that the handshake shouldn’t resemble to any of his teammates. “I was like ‘Don’t you recycle Chris Bosh’s handshake for me. I want a brand new and improved handshake.” The Flash and his handshakes routine were so popular that he had a different one with each of his teammates.

So, it made total sense for Gabrielle Union to ask for one since she and the Heat icon would be tied for the long haul. Last year, she also celebrated Wade’s 42nd birthday: “You are a gift to me, your family, and everyone you encounter. Your purpose is rooted in the divine. May the blessings on blessings rain down on you. Love you Bay…[Cheers] to 42.” Along with the post, there were highlights of Dwyane Wade basketball moments from Marquette to Miami Heat.

It also featured a few clips from their marriage where they had this signature handshake. At the end of the video, it mentioned the announcement of his statue outside the Kaseya Center. That announcement happened during the celebratory night of the Heat icon, which happened only days after his cancer surgery.

During Dwyane Wade’s vulnerable moment, Gabrielle Union cheered him on

Last month, the 3x NBA champion made a revelation about his surgery to fight cancer back in 2023. The result was that the doctors had to remove 40% of his kidney in December 2023. The 43-year-old never wanted to appear ‘weak’ in front of his family, but their love gave him that assurance.

“That level of vulnerability, to go through removal of a good chunk of his kidney and the healing that involved, he needed us to be okay with his vulnerability. But more than that, he needed to be okay with his vulnerability.” During her appearance on TODAY with Jenna & Friends, Gabrielle Union spoke about Dwyane Wade being at peace with his vulnerability. She also spoke about how the cancer battle brought their families closer.

In 2023, Wade received an HOF induction and earned his orange jacket. At the end of the year, he had to go through surgery. In January, the Heat would celebrate ‘Dwyane Wade Night’, but nobody knew at the time that the family faced a big ordeal but kept smiling through and through.