Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union and their daughters attend Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony.Photo:Mike Lawrie/Getty
Mike Lawrie/Getty
Dwyane Wadehas a Hall of Fame-caliber team on his hands!
And Wade made sure to celebrate them in return. During his speech, the Miami Heat alum recognized several figures in his life, from his parents to his kids to even friendsCarmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and Chris Paul, all of whom were in attendance. Iverson, who presented the honor to Wade, wore a custom suit with Wade’s name and jersey numberfeatured on the back.
“Thank you all for being there for me and for loving me in the most perfect way possible. I appreciate you guys and I love y’all,” Wade said of his loved ones in attendance before specifically recognizing his wife.
Dwyane Wade speaks to Gabrielle Union at 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Induction.Mike Lawrie/Getty
“And my wife Gab, would you please stand. Thank you for making our house a home,” he said.
“Thank you for making sure our kids feel seen, heard and protected when I’m not around. Thank you for learning every ref’s name in the NBA and for screaming at them so I didn’t have to — saved a lot of fine money,” Wade joked.
“I know I’m traveling for work this year during our anniversary, so I want to say, thank you for being on this journey for me — with me, these past 15 years. Thank you for learning to love my imperfections, just as much as we enjoyed and love the moments of perfection. I love you.”
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Gabrielle Union and Daughters Zaya and Kaavia.Dwayne Wade/Instagram
Dwayne Wade/Instagram
Before and after the ceremony, the Wade-Union family shared plenty of sweet moments on Instagram to mark the occasion.
On the red carpet, Wade uploaded a clip of his wife and two daughters to his Instagram Story, complete with three red hearts that he pasted over the video.
Union, 50, also uploaded a few behind-the-scenes clips and photos to her own Instagram, including a video where her and Wade’s children pose for a few photos, and an image of her wearing Wade’s iconic orange jacket made for inductees.
“The type you remember forever 😉,” she captioned her post.
Dwyane Wade with daughter Kaavia.Dwyane Wade/Instagram
Dwyane Wade/Instagram
Elsewhere in his speech, Wade recognized his parents, and in one heartfelt moment to wrap his sentiments, even invited his father on stage.
“I started this off thanking you, and I want to end it the same way,” he said. “I owe you a debt of gratitude that I will never be able to repay. When I would cry and say, ‘I can’t,’ you made me go harder. You pushed me to limits that I didn’t know were inside of me. The hard work I put in is because I didn’t want to let you down.”
Wade added that he and his father had the “same exact dream” and carry the “same exact name” — Dwyane Tyrone Wade.
“To know we hustled all the way to the Basketball Hall of Fame is God’s will. So pops, I know your knees are a little sore, but will you join me on stage as we take our rightful step into basketball heaven?”
As his dad walked on stage, Wade gave him a kiss on the head, explaining that the honor was “for my father.” And after they both exchanged “I love you’s,” Wade made a final statement of the night and hugged his dad proudly: “We in the Hall of Fame, dog!”
source: people.com
