Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade Honor Daughter Zaya on Sweet 16 Birthday

Zaya Wade turned 16 years old on May 29, and her dad Dwyane Wade and stepmom Gabrielle Union celebrated her birthday with social media tributes.

By Elyse Dupre May 30, 2023 12:50 PMTags
Watch: Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union Celebrate Daughter Zaya's 16th Birthday

Zaya Wade's 16th birthday is already off to a sweet start. 

And in celebration, dad Dwyane Wade and stepmom Gabrielle Union marked the major milestone on May 29 with social media tributes.

Taking to Instagram, the basketball star, 41, and the actress, 50, looked back at some unforgettable moments from over the past year, including Zaya's winter formal (where she wore a sequined Rodarte gown), her attendance and runway debut at Miu Miu's Paris Fashion Week shows and fun times with family. Gabrielle and Dwyane captioned their posts with the words "16" and "6Teen," respectively, each adding heart emojis.

And Zaya appreciated all the birthday wishes. 

"16," she wrote in her own post, "so thankful for all the love."

It looks like she may have some big plans for this year, too. Just before Zaya turned 16, Dwyane posted a video and noted she was taking "business meetings at 15 years old." 

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Dwyane Wade's Memoir: See Rare Photos of His Life

In addition to being dad to daughter Zaya, the former Miami Heat player shares daughter Kaavia, 4, with Gabrielle and has two sons Zaire, 21, and Xavier, 9, from previous relationships. Dwyane also raised his nephew Dahveon Morris, 21.

To see more of the Wade family's photos, keep reading.

All in the Family

Dwyane Wade celebrated the final game in his NBA career with Gabrielle Union and their daughter Kaavia Wade in 2019. The Miami Heats player was also joined by his nephew Dahveon Morris, his kids Zaire Wade and Zaya Wade (with ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches) and son Xavier Wade (with ex Aja Metoyer) for the momentous occasion. 

Perfect Match

Gabrielle and Dwyane proved they go together like peanut butter and jelly on Halloween 2023. Meanwhile, their daughter Kaavia dressed up as Cinderella.

Bring On the Silly

The Bring It On actress snapped silly selfies with Kaavia on Mother's Day 2023.

Like Father, Like Son

Dwyane's oldest son Zaire captioned this 2022 photo of his dad holding up his Salt Lake City Stars jersey: "Leave a legacy."

Teenage Milestones

Dwyane and Gabby send Zaya, who the former NBA star shares with ex Siovaughn Funches, off to her school's winter formal in January 2023. 

"Supporting each other for life’s big moments is key," the couple wrote in an Instagram post. "All the nerves, all the anxiety, all the fear… With loved ones by your side, no matter the challenge, we 10 toes down. Always."

Hair For It

"See @kaaviajames mama's got hair like yours," Gabrielle shared on Instagram in 2020. "When I took my braids out she was like... now mom & baby both rocking their natural curls."

Red Carpet Pro

While attending the 2019 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards, the couple's daughter Kaavia made her award show debut. Spoiler alert: She was a total pro. 

Clap Backs

After celebrating Thanksgiving as a family, Dwyane took to Twitter to slam Internet trolls who had some not-so-nice comments.

"I've seen some post-thanksgiving hate on social about my family photo," he shared online. "Stupidity is apart of this world we live in—so i get it. But here's the thing—I've been chosen to lead my family not y'all. So we will continue to be us and support each other with pride, love & a smile!"

Snuggle Season

Gabrielle rang in her 50th birthday in 2022 with snuggles from Dwyane and Kaavia.

Sweet 16

The couple are all smiles as they celebrate Zaya's 16th birthday in May 2023.

Best Dressed

When it was time to celebrate Halloween 2019, Gabrielle and Dwyane knew just the look to pull off with their baby girl.

Round 2

But wait, there's more! The proud parents also transformed into another theme with their daughter Zaya.

Kids Come First

Dwyane praised Zaya amid criticism from online trolls.

"First of all, if you want to talk about strength and courage, my 12-year-old has way more than I have," he  shared on the All the Smoke podcast in 2019. "You can learn something from your kids. In my household, man, that's all we talk about. We talk about making sure our kids are seen by each of us, me and my wife, We talk about making sure our kids understand the power in their voice."

Ultimate Defenders

After Gabrielle was fired from America's Got Talent in 2019, Dwyane absolutely had his wife's back. "'Men lie, Women lie, numbers don't,'" he shared on Twitter after the news broke. "Over this past year I've been approaching by many people saying that my wife @itsgabrielleu is the main reason they've started watching #AGT or that they love her insight and sincerity on the show."

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