Court Battles, Name Changes & More! Inside Dwyane Wade's Drama With His Ex-Wife

Dwyane Wade met his first wife, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, when he was only 9-years-old. The former couple struck up a relationship in high school before tying the knot in 2002 and eventually welcoming their children, Zaire and Zaya.

The basketball player and the mother-of-two eventually divorced in 2010, however, the exes have been struggling with parenting issues that have brought them to court — specifically after Wade filed to legally change the name and gender of their 15-year-old transgender daughter, Zaya, in mid August.

The former athlete first opened up on his daughter discovering her gender identity during a 2020 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

"Our (then)-12-year-old … came home and said, 'Hey, I want to talk to you guys,' then asked to be called, Zaya," he explained at the time. "We’re just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self."

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT DWYANE WADE'S SECOND BABY MAMA, AJA METOYER

Wade has sole "care, custody and control" of both of their children and claims to have given notice to their mother — who he's referred to as an "absent" parent who has reportedly refused to take the time to get to know Zaya — before filing the court petition.

Still, Funches-Wade has been fighting him tooth and nail, alleging her ex-husband is only going through with the name change for personal gain.

The 41-year-old mother insisted her ex "is positioned to profit from the minor child’s name and gender change with various companies through contacts and marketing opportunities including but not limited to deals with Disney."

"I have concerns that [Wade] may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies," the court documents continued.

Funches-Wade later doubled down on her accusations, noting that she was only fighting the name and gender change to "protect" their child, adding that she believed Zaya — who she referred to by their dead name — should only be allowed to make the requested changes when she is a legal adult at 18-years-old.

"I have both the mandate and privilege of protecting my children from these tragic events, well as the myriad of other negative things that have a tendency to impact those living in the limelight, but time will fail me to mention them all," Funches-Wade said, adding that while she is not a "perfect parent," she loves both of her kids with a "perfect unconditional love."