Dwayne Wade's teenage daughter has been granted an official assignment of gender and name change by California courts.
The official documents were filed in Los Angeles' Superior Court, before being obtained and viewed by outlets such as PEOPLE and TMZ. They showed that an LA county judge officially recognized the 15-year-old's name as Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade and allowed the teen to select sex markers on documents that aligned with her gender identity.
Wade has long been vocal about his support for his daughter's decision, and frequently showed unconditional support for Zaya, along with the teen's 50-year-old stepmother, Gabrielle Union.
Appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres show back in 2020, the former 41-year-old NBA star revealed: "First of all, me and my wife, Gabrielle Union, we are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community, and we’re proud allies as well [...] We take our roles and our responsibilities as parents very seriously.”
Check out the touching interview below:Recalling Zaya coming out as transgender, the former Miami Heat player said: "[She] said, 'Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward, I’m ready to live my truth. And I want to be referenced as she and her. I would love for you guys to call me Zaya.'"
"Now it’s our job to one, go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship that we have," the father added, before revealing the words of support and encouragement he shared with his daughter.
"I said, ‘You are a leader. You are a leader, and this is an opportunity to allow you to be a voice,'" he added.
Additionally, Dwayne is known for taking to social media to voice support for all of his children,
Stepmom Union has also taken to social media on several occasions to share support for Zaya. In a tweet shared in 2020, the actress wrote: "Meet Zaya. She's compassionate, loving, whip smart and we are so proud of her. It’s Ok to listen to, love & respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people."
And speaking to PEOPLE last year, Union revealed how Zaya's transition helped the two grow in their relationship.
"Zaya coming into truest self did help because I am able to bond with who she actually is versus the representative that was speaking for her for years," the Bring It On star said. "Now she is completely herself and so I know her, not her representative."
Agreeing with the stepmother's comments, the teen added: "Me discovering who I am has definitely deepened our bond and also other people's bonds."
However, last year it was reported that Zaya's mother, Siovaughn Funches-Wade, had filed a legal petition against her daughter's transition. After obtaining legal documents, PEOPLE reported that the mom felt her ex-husband was "positioned to profit" from their daughter's transition and that he "may be pressuring" their child into it.
Funches-Wade alleged in the documents: "I have concerns that [Dwyane] 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."
Zaya's mother had reportedly asked the court to delay legally changing her daughter's name and gender until she turned 18.
