In 2023, Dwyane Wade earned his Hall of Fame induction. But recently, the Heat legend revealed that year he had to go under the knife. This revelation came as a shock as the 3x NBA champion spoke on his podcast about the stage 1 cancer in his kidney. Today, when he spoke about his illness, he also spoke about the trials and tribulations he faced at the time and how his family supported him through that period. Even on the social media post, Zaire made sure to express his love for his father.

“Stage 1 cancer… those words hit hard. December 2023 meant losing 40% of my kidney. It’s a scary thing to face. My dad’s own health journey taught me the importance of being proactive. Fellas, this @wynetwork episode is personal. It’s my story, a reminder to face your fears, prioritize your health and get checked.” Dwyane Wade had the caption about his kidney cancer and how a mere health checkup led to surgery. His son, Zaire, added, “love you.”

In that post, D-Wade also spoke about his internal conflicts. “I think it was the first time my family, my dad, my kids they saw me weak. That moment was probably the weakest point I’ve ever felt in my life. The moments that I was by myself I didn’t like I was struggling dawg.”

Dwyane Wade suggested how men don’t like appearing weak, especially in front of their families. But he knew in that moment that he “had to.” And his family came through in that moment, which is where he found his strength from.

“What I saw in the midst of me going through my illness, I saw my family that may not always talk, may not always agree. I saw everybody show up for me and be there for me and in that process, in my weakness, I found strength in my family.”

In December 2023, the Heat announced Dwyane Wade Night to celebrate his Hall of Fame legacy. In January, that event took place, but nobody knew at the time he just had surgery a few days ago. Last year, the Marquette alum also made the revelation about another surgery in the near future.

Dwyane Wade might have postponed his other surgery

On his YouTube, the Flash detailed how his post-retirement life is very different from his hooping career. The clear difference is that when playing, he had to regularly get checkups done. But now that wasn’t the case. His career was always filled with explosivity, which coincided with a lot of injuries.

“I don’t get on the court no more. These knees ain’t letting me be great.” Over his career, the former MVP has had to battle persistent knee issues. Which is why he stayed away from the courts in post-retirement life. On his podcast, last year Dwyane Wade added that the knee surgery was inevitable. “Knee replacement is loading; it just depends on at what point in my life I want to get it done.”

Now we know why D-Wade didn’t opt in for surgery last year. As he already had a surgery few months before, because of kidney cancer. Now the entire community is cheering for the Heat legend!