What is it about the Union-Wades? We love them, and it seems like we’re not the only ones.
As a contributing writer for Instinct, I have seen my fair share of news covering Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union’s family in the past year. The celebrity family skyrocketed to headlines and social media posts because of Wade’s teenage son Zion. Gabrielle had decided to take Zion to Miami Pride and Dwyane, who was away for one of his final games before retiring from basketball, expressed his support through social media.
The family made headlines again as Wade expressed his support again. And then Wade did it again when homophobes still couldn’t wrap their heads around the concept of a father supporting his gay son.
But again, I’m a writer for a gay men’s website. Of course, I’d come across the family frequently this past year. But then imagine my surprise when the family came up in conversation while visiting my own family.
Picture me on Christmas morning. I’m sitting in the backseat of a car as my parents talk about something or other and my teenage sister types away at her phone. The streets are fairly calm as many other families are home opening presents. Meanwhile, my family’s on the road to grandma’s house for gift giving. But as I looked out the window and got lost in my own thoughts, I was surprised to hear the name Wade pass through the air.
My family then proceeded to talk about the Wades. About how Dwyane had retired, to his daughter’s social media presence, and everything about Zion Wade. In that moment something occurred to me. There’s something special about the Dwyane Wades.
Most likely, it’s purely luck and right timing. But no matter what, the family has found itself at the center of many positive headlines in the last year. With that, they have earned goodwill from sports fans, entertainment fans, LGBTQ fans, and Black fans.
That then makes me realize, Dwyane Wade’s family is in an opportunistic situation. With all of this attention and praise focused on the family, there is a lot of opportunity for future work, projects, and followers. I’d be surprised if the family doesn’t have production companies emailing them, calling them, and all but knocking down their front door. I’m sure the family is swimming in reality show pitches.
And honestly, they should be. We need a calm, loving, and respectable family like the Wade-Union family on our tv screens. The family is wholesome enough to garner fans of several corners of life like the Black community and the LGBTQ community. On top of that, they are just pleasant people to watch. And as you can see from Gabrielle Union’s Instagram account, the family is not afraid of a good photo-opp.
But possibly what makes the family so great, and trendable, is what could be holding back any sort of reality show. At their heart, the Wade-Union family is just a normal family. While the mom is a celebrated and longstanding actress and the dad is a celebrated but recently retired athlete, the family gives off this vibe of pleasant ordinariness. They are simply a family that loves each other. Yes, they probably have more money than most, and look it, but there’s still a grounded feeling coming off the Wade-Union family.
With that in mind, would Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade force the public spotlight on their children? Probably not. And we respect that possible decision. Though, of course, it’s merely speculation.
What is for sure, though, is that many people love the Wade-Union family. And that doesn’t look like it’ll change anytime soon.
