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Dwyane Wade pays tribute to daughter Zaya in moving post about 'unconditional love'

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Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union honored in TIME100
Andrew Toth/Getty Images
ByCarson Blackwelder
December 22, 2020, 3:06 PM

Dwyane Wade has nothing but "unconditional love" for his daughter, Zaya.

The retired NBA player, 38, took to Instagram on Sunday to share a message straight from his heart to his 13-year-old daughter.

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"Unconditional love, simply put, is love without strings attached," he wrote. "It's love you offer freely. You don't base it on what someone does for you in return. You simply love them and want nothing more than their happiness. This type of love, sometimes called compassionate or agape love."

Wade ended his post with three black heart emojis, tagging Zaya and sharing two photos of her.

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This is by no means the first time the three-time NBA champion has shown support for his teen daughter, who came out as transgender earlier this year.

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"She's helped us see, you know, life differently, and I'm thankful for her," Wade told "Good Morning America" when he and wife Gabrielle Union made the TIME100 list. "She’s allowed me to be informed where I can help, you know, in the same process."

"Right now it's a lot of people in the Black community that that will not accept someone of transgender, you know, and look at them as different and not worthy," he added. "Not worthy of life."

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Wade admitted he is still evolving, thanks to Zaya.

"I think I'm finding my voice, continuing to let everyone know that I am not perfect," he said. "I do not know everything, but I lead with my heart. I lead with love."

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