Dwyane Wade is recalling just how frightening it was when he had to tell Gabrielle Union he was expecting a child with another woman.
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When the retired NBA star and his now-wife were on a break back in 2013, Wade had a rendezvous with someone else. The pair ended up welcoming a son, Xavier, later that year.
On an episode of Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast that aired earlier this year, Wade recalled what it was like when he had to tell Union that he conceived a child with another woman during their break. Sharpe asked the athlete if it is harder to lose in the NBA Finals or break the big news to his now-wife and unsurprisingly, Wade said that telling Union about the baby was a lot more difficult.
“Way harder to have a conversation with my now-wife,” Dwyane responded. “You try to think of everything possible. You’re thinking about it all, and it is all scary. The one situation is scary enough, but you know this is gonna hurt someone that you’ve been building a relationship and a life with.”
He went on to reveal that he broke the news to Union before it made its way to the public, also insisting that he wouldn’t have been able to get through all of the backlash if she wasn’t by his side throughout the process.
“We were in the playoffs, I think, even going into the finals that year. Man, that was a rough time for me,” the Miami Heat legend explained. “You’ve got a lot on your mind, and you’re keeping something from people you love. At night, when it’s just you and your thoughts, those thoughts are loud.”
Wade also admits that instead of coming clean, he tried to distance himself from his now-wife, commending her for sticking by his side regardless of the scrutiny. Still, even more than 10 years after the incident, Wade says they still go to therapy together to discuss issues surrounding that period in their relationship.
“We go to therapy. We’ve had shouts about it, we’ve had regular conversations about it, and it’s going to continue to be something that I have to work at,” Wade explained. “It doesn’t go away because years come or because I say ‘I’m sorry.’”
But even with all of the repercussions to their relationship, the Utah Jazz minority owner says his concern for his son is a much greater struggle.
“That’s hard for him. That is going to always be there. He’s done nothing, and it’s a stain that’s on him for no reason. I think about that,” he said. “We’re adults; we’re either going to get through it, or we ain’t gon’ get through it. But this is a young kid who’s already got a negative impact next to his name, and he hasn’t even got a chance to accomplish anything.”
Check out the clip from the Club Shay Shay podcast down below:
