Zaya Wade had a day to remember.
Dwyane Wade's daughter rang in her 17th birthday May 29, and of course he and wife Gabrielle Union made sure to gush over their teen.
Gabrielle celebrated her stepdaughter with an Instagram carousel, captioned "17," that included several photos with Zaya over the years, along with an adorable video of Dwyane cheering her on as she showed off her modeling skills.
Dwyane—who shares daughter Kaavia, 5, with Gabrielle and is also dad to sons Zaire, 22, and Xavier, 10, from previous relationships, as well as raising his nephew Dahveon Morris, 21—was equally effusive in his own post, sharing several snaps of Zaya and a video of the two enjoying a sweet father-daughter moment as they hugged and shared a laugh.
As for Zaya, the model celebrated in her own way with a black and white image of herself giving the peace sign with the caption, "17" and a birthday cake emoji.
Zaya—whose mother is Dwyane's ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches—has been open about how important it is for her to be surrounded by family, especially since coming out as trans in 2012.
"They are such a giant support system and have always been there for me," she told Dazed in 2023. "No matter what happens, I feel strongest when I'm with them."
"So many big changes have happened over the last couple of years with me, but also just in general," she continued. "I think it's not my job, but it's my honor to continue and further my family's education and appreciation for the entire LBGTQ+ community as we grow together."
For more of Zaya, Gabrielle, Dwyane and the rest of their adorable family, keep reading.
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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