Dwyane Wade on how basketball made him a better father and husband
Dwyane Wade said his time as a professional basketball player made him a better father and husband.
The former NBA star, whose photographic memoir "Dwyane" hit bookshelves on Nov. 16, explained that there are more similarities between what he did on the court and how he and wife Gabrielle Union run their home than one might expect.
"I think trying to understand the game of basketball is learning how to work with others. To win a championship ... it's all about everyone playing their role," the three-time NBA champ said Tuesday on "Good Morning America."
"We're a team, me and my wife. We are leaders, we are partners," he continued. "As a leader, sometimes you've got to stand back and you've got to allow others to lead, and sometimes, as a leader, you have to lead."
With "Dwyane," Wade said he wanted to "show the human side of the athlete," adding: "I think we're on TV and looked at as superheroes, but there is a human side to us."
Part of that human side to the Miami Heat alum is showing what a family man he is to his four children -- 19-year-old son Zaire, 14-year-old daughter Zaya and 8-year-old son Xavier from previous relationships, as well as his and Union's 3-year-old daughter, Kaavia.
With Kaavia, who is already famous on Instagram, Wade said he is "in trouble" when it comes to her sassy personality and expert use of the side eye.
He recalled, "The other day I went in her room and I kissed her and I said, 'Bye, baby. I'm going to work.' I had to come back in the house for something and she [saw] me and looked at me and she gave me that eye and she said, 'Daddy, go to work.'
With Zaire, who was recently drafted into the NBA's G League on the Salt Lake City Stars team, Wade said he is "the proudest father in the world."
"People always say Zaire is following in my footsteps," he added. "And I always say Zaire is following his dreams."
