Gabrielle Union Celebrates Her and Dwyane Wade’s 11th Anniversary
Gabrielle Union is looking back on countless memories with Dwyane Wade.
In honor of her 11th wedding anniversary with the Miami Heat star, the Bring It On actress shared a series of clips from each year they’ve spent together, going all the way back to their 2014 nuptials.
“Eleven years of marriage and I’m still waking up next to my best friend laughing through the adventures, dancing through the challenges, and raiding the snack cabinet together,” Gabrielle—who shares 6-year-old daughter Kaavia Wade with Dwyane—wrote on Instagram Aug. 20. “This love feels like the best sleepover we get to call home.”
And along with sharing clips of her and the former NBA player throughout the years, Gabrielle went on to thank all their friends and family for their support—with a few puns, of course.
“Thank you to everyone who continue to pray over our union, wade beside us, and pour into our family we don’t take it for granted,” she continued. “Here’s to more years of love, laughter, and everything in between. Forever, to eternity, and to us.”
But when the couple started dating back in 2009, their relationship wasn’t an immediate slam dunk for Dwyane’s family. In fact, his older sister Tragil had a few concerns around Gabrielle being nine years older than him.
"When I first met his family, the older sisters, who are closer in my age, immediately good," Gabrielle said during her and Dwyane’s Aug. 20 appearance on Michelle Obama's IMO podcast. "We're good in the hood. But with Tragil, because she has been the protector...She has been the watchdog. She has been the gatekeeper to keep him sane and to keep him doing everything he needs to do without interference from anybody."
Beyond his protective older sister, Dwyane’s mom Jolinda also had some suspicions of her own.
"Before I got to the wife stage, like when we were just the very beginning," Gabrielle shared, "I think Tragil and his mom were like, 'What do you want? Who are you, you older lady? What do you want?'"
Even so, the 52-year-old—who is also stepmom to Dwyane’s kids Zaire, 23, Zaya, 18, and Xavier, 11, in addition to his nephew Dahveon, 21—was quick to assuage their concerns.
As she remembered it, "I was like, 'Actually, we both just got divorced, so we're kind of in the same space. I didn't have a kid at 20, I'm still childless, and I'm not racing to do that, so I'm straight. I got my own bank account, so I'm good. I just like him, we'll see where it goes.'"
Now, keep reading for a deeper dive into Gabrielle and Dwayne’s 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.
Gabrielle and Dwyane proved they go together like peanut butter and jelly on Halloween 2023. Meanwhile, their daughter Kaavia dressed up as Cinderella.
The Bring It On actress snapped silly selfies with Kaavia on Mother's Day 2023.
Dwyane's oldest son Zaire captioned this 2022 photo of his dad holding up his Salt Lake City Stars jersey: "Leave a legacy."
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."
"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."
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.
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!"
Gabrielle rang in her 50th birthday in 2022 with snuggles from Dwyane and Kaavia.
The couple are all smiles as they celebrate Zaya's 16th birthday in May 2023.
When it was time to celebrate Halloween 2019, Gabrielle and Dwyane knew just the look to pull off with their baby girl.
But wait, there's more! The proud parents also transformed into another theme with their daughter Zaya.
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."
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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