In NBA superstar Dwyane Wade's recent appearance on The Ellen (opens in new tab)DeGeneres Show (opens in new tab), Zaya, a 12-year-old child (opens in new tab), recalled a key moment when he and wife Gabrielle Union recalled the pivotal moment when he opened up about his gender identity to DeGeneres and his wife, Gabrielle Union. While speaking with DeGeneres, Wade used Zaya's dead name (opens in new tab), Zion, and explained that she now uses her/his pronouns.

"Zion, born a boy, came home and said, 'Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think I'm ready to live my truth down the road. I want to be called 'she' and 'her. I want you to call me Zaya,'" Wade said.

Wade began publicly using the pronoun "she/her" for Zaya in December 2019. In an episode of the sports podcast "All the Smoke" (opens in new tab), Wade talked about the beauty of watching Zaya's youth unfold in real time.

"I have watched my son, from day one, finally become who she is now. Nothing will ever change my love or my responsibility."

In a new video shared by the Union, Zaya talks about the importance of being yourself and offers wisdom to others who are going through similar experiences.

"Be true to yourself. The whole point of being in this world is to try to be someone you're not." I know it will be hard at times, but you will get through it and become the best you can be." "If you reach that point, it's worth it."

The former Miami Heat player and Union (open in new tab) take their responsibilities as parents very seriously. Union and Wade have a daughter, Kirbya James (1) (opens in new tab), but they are also raising Wade's other three children (opens in new tab) and nephew. Yes, they are the goal of the blended family.

"When a child comes home with a question, when a child comes home with a problem, when a child comes home with something, it's our job as parents to listen, to give as much information as we can, to give as much feedback as we can," Wade says. 'And that doesn't change just because sexuality [and gender] has become relevant.'

As "proud parents of a child from the LGBTQ+ community," Wade and Union had to educate themselves about issues related to Zaya's gender identity. After Zaya came out, they reached out to people in the community, including the cast of FX's show Pose (open in new tab), which made history in 2018 by casting the most transgender actors (open in new tab) on a scripted show.

"It's our job to be out there, to be informed, to reach out to every relationship," Wade said. His wife reached out to all of the cast members of Paws. We're trying to get as much information as we can so our kids can be their best selves."

Wade and Union, who between the two have 30 million Instagram followers, live in the public eye, and their family is unfortunately not always accepted.In November 2019, Union Instagrammed a photo of their family celebrating Thanksgiving . It was a glowing family photo, but all certain Instagram users noticed were Zaya's painted nails, crop top, and scrunchies.

Wade quickly took to Twitter to defend his family, writing, "Saw some post-Thanksgiving hate on social about my family photo. Stupidity is part of this world we live in. But I was chosen to lead my family, not everyone else. So we will continue to be us and support each other with pride, love, and smiles."

Through his impassioned responses to online haters, Wade showed what kind of father he is and what kind of values he holds. Wade also told DeGeneres that he hopes that by raising awareness and advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, he can create real change.

"I looked at her and said, 'You are a leader. It's our opportunity for you to have a voice." Right now it's through us because she's only 12, but eventually it will be through her."