Dwyane Wade built a legacy on the court with three NBA titles, Olympic gold, and a Hall of Fame nod. But no court challenge matched the fight he faced privately. He found his toughest contender to be cancer. In late 2023, Wade learned he had a tumor on his kidney. The news left the fans stunned and led to a life-altering surgery that removed nearly half of his kidney. It was just a routine check-up, but things took a surprising turn for the 41-year-old, and it may just have saved his life.

Since retiring in 2019, Wade has built a successful second act, buying into the Utah Jazz and WNBA’s Chicago Sky, while also making a name in media. But when he began experiencing odd symptoms, like abdominal discomfort and weak urine flow, he decided to investigate. Given his father’s past prostate cancer diagnosis, he opted for a full-body scan. “I didn’t go in for my kidneys, but because I did the full-body scan, they saw something,” Wade revealed. Doctors discovered a tumor on his right kidney, and by December 2023, surgery was no longer a choice; it was a necessity.

Now, months later, Gabrielle Union is opening up about her side of the storm. In Marie Claire’s new “Motherhood” issue, she shared her initial reaction to Wade’s diagnosis. “Even though we all know plenty of survivors, immediately you go to death, immediately we all internalize his cancer,” she admitted. “It’s our cancer.” For Union, the scariest thought wasn’t just losing a husband, it was parenting alone. She confessed to feeling hurt by Wade’s decisions. His silence during treatment made her feel isolated. “It’s a very selfish response that I had, and it caused all kinds of problems… It just starts sowing the seeds of distrust,” she explained.

Union also revealed how much deeper the pain went after surgery. “It just felt like he was trying to leave us—not in a marital sense, but a life and death sense.” Even after the tumor was removed, she said the healing felt one-sided. “He wanted his best friend, not me. He didn’t want to be weak.” Union admitted it felt like he preferred a stranger to witness his pain. For Union, it wasn’t just about the illness, it was about being pushed out when she needed to be let in. While she understood Wade’s logic, she found it hard to cope with the grief and not being able to stay by his side at such a moment. Thankfully, Wade ended up making a full recovery, and their bond became even firmer through the ordeal.

Why Dwyane Wade chose his father over Gabrielle Union before cancer surgery

When Dwyane Wade faced the most frightening health crisis of his life, he made a deeply personal and surprising decision. Despite being married to Gabrielle Union for over a decade, the NBA legend didn’t ask her to be by his side in the pre-op room. Instead, he turned to the man who had been his steady compass through life’s storms: his father.

In a heartfelt interview on Making Space with Hoda Kotb, Wade revealed it wasn’t about love or loyalty—it was about emotional survival. At 43, Wade was no stranger to pain, but this was different. Vulnerable and scared, he wanted the kind of presence that could steady him without breaking. “He’s the guy, for me. He’s always been. It’s crazy because I’m a mama’s boy, all those things, but my dad has been there.” That consistency, he explained, made his father the only person who could witness him at rock bottom.

The decision wasn’t made in isolation. Wade’s bond with his father had grown stronger in recent years, especially after Dwyane Sr. battled prostate cancer. Their shared experiences sparked deeper conversations, often laced with dark humor. “We started being able to share personal things,” Wade said.

“I would call my dad after I left the hospital, like, ‘Yo, I just got a prostate exam, Pops, and the doctor did this,’ and he’ll laugh and say, ‘Oh yeah, that’s nothing. She just wanted to do this.’ We just got close when his prostate cancer [was being treated],” he added. In a world where vulnerability often hides behind bravado, Wade felt safest sharing his weakest moment with the man who had already faced similar fears.

That trust was also on full display during Wade’s 2023 Hall of Fame induction, where he pulled his father on stage and declared, “We in the Hall of Fame, dawg!” Months later, that same man would stand beside him, not as a basketball dad, but as a quiet source of courage before Wade’s cancer surgery.