Magic Johnson Helped Dwyane Wade’s Family Escape ‘Unsafe’ Community After Zaya’s Struggles

“I don’t know why we live in this world where our kids are our property,” he said, “[where we think] we own our kids.” That one line defines how Dwyane Wade parents his children. It’s not just about protecting them, it’s about respecting them as full people. Wade has spoken before about how hard it was to understand Zaya’s identity at first. His childhood didn’t equip him for this, but he chose to grow rather than stay stuck. Wade’s journey of unlearning echoed a story that unfolded years earlier in the Johnson household.

Magic Johnson once stood at a similar crossroads when his son, EJ, came out as gay in 2010. While Cookie accepted EJ immediately, Magic struggled. He later revealed that he had said some “hurtful” things he ended up regretting. Still, he returned the next day, apologized, and promised to grow with his son. Years later, EJ recalled a hug from Magic that “squeezed all the air” out of him. That moment stuck with Wade – years later, he’d need to channel the same kind of strength to protect his own child.

When Zaya came out as trans, she was terrified. Wade recalled in an interview with The Atlantic, Zaya saying, ‘I was so scared… Everyone’s scared about coming out to their parents.” Wade saw the fear on her face and had to ask himself, Why is my child scared to tell me who she is? He realized how unsafe the world could be for someone like Zaya, especially back home. “If she grew up in my situation, forget about it… you’re not telling everybody,” Wade said. But it wasn’t just instinct: Wade leaned on Magic’s example.

In a past interview, Johnson had said, “It’s all about loving them, no matter who they are.” That stuck with Wade. It wasn’t about fixing his child: it was about freeing her. Gabrielle Union previously echoed that mindset when she explained why they left Florida: “When you have the kind of rhetoric that is being espoused in Florida and adopted into law, that’s not an option if my child isn’t safe there.” Their move to California, inspired by the Johnsons, became an act of protection and defiance.

Magic’s words during his The Ellen DeGeneres Show interview, “If you don’t support them, who’s going to support them and love them?” became a tenet for him. Since then, he has always been vocal about his pride for Zaya. When Zaya sat down for her Seventeen interview, Wade proudly shared what the moment meant to him.

Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle’s unrelenting support

What does it really mean to show up for your child? Is it enough to just love them, or does it take more? For Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, it’s more than just love. It’s about standing by Zaya, especially when the world gets loud and cruel. When Zaya came out, some people had a lot to say. But her parents didn’t back down. Wade put it simply: “We’re going to make sure she gets to be her full self.”

Being in the spotlight as she was, it couldn’t have been easy for Zaya to be her true self. Imagine facing that kind of attention at her age. Zaya did, and she handled it with so much grace. Wade often speaks about how much he admires her courage. Gabrielle, on the other hand, turned her focus toward the bigger picture. She asked, “Who are we truly fighting for?” It wasn’t just about Zaya anymore; it was about every Black trans kid who felt unseen.

Then came another challenge. At the end of 2023, Wade was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Surgery followed, and suddenly, the strong protector found himself feeling vulnerable. Gabrielle later called the experience “traumatic,” saying it shifted how their family worked. But even through all that pain, Wade never lost sight of what mattered: standing by Zaya.

So, how do you keep going when life keeps throwing punches? The Wades did it by staying focused. They showed up at Out100 in 2024 to cheer on Zaya, who received a groundbreaker award for her work in LGBTQ+ advocacy. And they didn’t stop there. Together, they launched the Translatable Project to support queer youth everywhere.

Wade reminds us, “We’re standing with the people who need us.” This isn’t just about parenting: it’s about purpose. It’s about fighting for a world where every kid can feel safe just being themselves.