Dwyane Wade's 5 Kids: All About His Sons and Daughters

Dwyane Wade is raising five kids: Dahveon, Zaire, Zaya, Xavier and Kaavia

Dwyane Wade is most known for his basketball skills, but off the court, the three-time NBA champion is also a dad.

Wade shares two children with ex-wife Siovaughn Funches: Zaire, 22, and Zaya, 17, as well as a son, Xavier, 10, with Aja Metoyer. In 2018, Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, welcomed a daughter, Kaavia James, 5. Wade is also the legal guardian of his nephew, Dahveon Morris, 21.

Both Wade and Union have been open about what it's like raising a blended family. In 2017, Union revealed that Wade and his kids changed her entire perspective on what she wanted for her future.

"I never wanted kids," she told PEOPLE. "Then I became a stepmom, and there was no place I'd rather be than with them."

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After welcoming Kaavia, Union penned her first children's book, which she described to PEOPLE as a "love letter to every non-traditional family, blended families, that no matter how you became a new family, it is beautiful and real."

As for the couple's parenting style, Wade told PEOPLE in 2021 that he really tries to "get to know" his kids. "I try to meet them where they're at, and I don't try to always bring them to where I want them to be," he explained.

The athlete also thinks it's important to "lead with love."

"I want to be somebody who my kids always understand, that can adapt, and that is willing to grow and is willing to learn," he told PEOPLE in 2021. "Also, someone that they can come to for advice about this, that or the third, and that will not be judgmental about it."

In April 2023, Wade appeared on an episode of Headliners, where he was asked about Florida politicians who are fans of his but are against LGBTQ rights.

"That's another reason why I don't live in that state," the former Miami Heat player said about relocating his family to California. "A lot of people don't know that. I have to make decisions for my family, not just personal, individual decisions. My family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there."

Here's everything to know about Dwyane Wade's blended family.

Dahveon Morris, 21

In 2011, Wade was awarded full custody of his nephew, Dahveon Morris. Dahveon and his cousin Zaire are very close and even played basketball together at Sierra Canyon School. In April 2019, Wade and Union sent their nephew off to prom in style, with the Cheaper by the Dozen actress posting about the occasion on Instagram. "PROM!!!!!" she wrote alongside a family picture.

Zaire Wade, 22

On Feb. 4, 2002, Wade welcomed his first child, Zaire Wade, with his high school sweetheart and wife at the time, Funches. Wade was just 20 years old when he first became a dad.

Zaire has been following in his father's footsteps since he was young with a dream of making it to the NBA. In high school, he played basketball alongside Lebron James' son, Bronny James, at the Sierra Canyon School, a prominent Los Angeles-area school known for its success on the court.

While inheriting some of his dad's athleticism has been helpful, bearing his last name has come with a lot of pressure and expectations. Luckily, Zaire has his father's support, although Wade has noted that he is merely in the "passenger seat" of his son's basketball career.

"He's in the driver's seat," Wade told PEOPLE in 2020. "If basketball is the ultimate goal, then I'm just trying to help him along the way, understanding there's so many different ways to get to this goal." He continued, "There's so many different ways to get to the NBA or to get that path ... So, [I'm] just trying to help him navigate through expectations that the world has put on him, and that he puts on himself because of his last name."

In October 2021, Zaire achieved his goal when he was drafted by the Salt Lake City Stars as the No. 10 pick.

"I think I just want people to know — first of all, I'm extremely blessed to have this opportunity from the Stars to even want to take interest in me," Zaire told the Salt Lake Tribune at the time. "I know I'm a young guy to develop."

In addition to basketball, Zaire is also passionate about fashion and has his own apparel company, YnG DnA. In July 2021, the young entrepreneur teamed up with his dad to create a pride collection benefitting Athlete Ally, a leading national non-profit working at the intersection of sport and LGBTQI+ equality. "We wanted to do something to try and show our support to my sister Zaya and the whole community," Zaire told PEOPLE.

In February 2023, Wade gave Zaire a shout-out on Instagram in honor of his 21st birthday.

"Watching you grow up and evolve into your own man has been the highlight of my life. Happy birthday @Zaire, got you forever!