Inspired By Emmy-Winning Show, Zaya and Dwyane Wade Announce Special Birthday Collab with $4.06 Billion Brand

Dwyane Wade and his daughter Zaya have such a powerful dynamic. In fact, even as individuals, they are full of fire. Dwyane could have easily just stayed in his NBA legend lane and been comfortable, but instead, he decided to lean into entrepreneurship and advocacy. Meanwhile, Zaya is stepping into her own world. Whether she’s walking at Paris Fashion Week or creating apps for teens to express themselves.

And now that Zaya has turned 18 and stepped into the real world, she is onto some big things with Dwyane Wade having her back. And they recently gave us a glimpse of the super cool upcoming projects on Timeout With Dwyane Wade. Zaya is all about giving back to the community while making it fun and colorful, and her next mission fits this definition.

However, she is not alone in this. They revealed “Um, shout out to Mac. Shout out to Mach, shout out to Mac, shout out to literally everyone who put this together.” Well, what better than a beauty brand like MAC having your back! Zaya even went on to explain the exact structure of her upcoming event. She said, “So, it’s it’s a ball, but it’s a not like a Regency like Bridgeton ball. Like it’s it’s what’s called a Kiki ball”.  It already sounds so intriguing, no wonder she chose her 18th birthday to be celebrated like that.

Zaya continued to share the inspiration behind this idea. She said, “And if you’ve ever watched the show Pose, like it’s the best way to explain it cuz you you’ll have already kind of seen what it’s about.” Well, you’re right, that Pose. The Emmy-winning FX drama that celebrated ball culture, chosen family, and unapologetic self-expression in the LGBTQ+ community during the ’80s and ’90s. It’s actually the perfect inspiration for this campaign.

She went on to share some more exciting details of what the D-day will look like. “And there’s a long runway. There’s a trillion categories and certain houses walk in certain categories and there are judges and whether it’s face, it can be fresh face or new or it’s like elegance like you know what I mean?” From the description of it, we are sure that Zaya’s ideas backed by Dwyane Wade’s support are always going to be a banger.

And this one especially isn’t just any birthday bash. It’s a full-on celebration of ballroom culture, unapologetic creativity, and next-level self-expression. It’s like a display of bold individuality, wrapped in glitter and great energy.

Dwyane Wade tries hard to fill the gap with Zaya

You know that feeling when you are a kid and it’s like your parents just don’t get you? Like there’s this weird barrier. Even when you are sitting right across from them at the dinner table? Most of us have been there. However, there is also another side to it where some parents actually try to break through that. Like Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union-Wade.

But, are they perfect? Hell no. Zaya has even admitted there were moments she still felt that gap. On Dwyane Wade’s Timeout show, they got real about it. Zaya straight-up said that “I think that a part of us learning about the trans experience is also me just getting more comfortable with you and talking to you about things.” It means trust isn’t built in a day, even with the most supportive parents. And then she dropped this truth bomb.

“Because, I mean, Chicago, African-American man, we talk about a lot of stuff. Not to stereotype, but not often do you have a full-blown conversation with a Black man.” That actually hit. Because factually, how many kids get to say their thing out loud without editing themselves? But then she described those random drives with Dwyane where they used to end up talking about everything.

It’s in the unplanned moments. And Dwyane? His response was simple. He said “I’m in love with my kids. And so, my job is to sit down. Me and Zaya have always, I go and sit across Zaya’s bed and we have a two to four hour conversation. And that’s a lot of times where we get to talk and it’s a safe space.” No big deal, no ego. Just a dad showing up, sitting down, and listening. That’s the way to do it.