Zaya Wade appears on the jumbotron during a retirement ceremony for her father Dwyane Wade. (Twitter)
An arena full of basketball fans has burst into applause at the sight of Dwyane Wade’s recently out trans daughter Zaya appearing on the big screen.
The moment of support for the young trans girl came during Wade’s retirement ceremony at the AmericanAirlines arena, when a tribute video to the three-time champion was shown on the jumbotron.
Wade’s wife, Gabrielle Union, was shown giving her congratulations on his career – and then 12-year-old Zaya appeared on the big screen.
As can be seen in a video posted to Twitter, the crowd erupted into applause.
Applause for Zaya Wade during a tribute to her father @5ReasonsSports pic.twitter.com/fmxRBktIOr
— Ethan J. Skolnick of @5ReasonsSports (@EthanJSkolnick) February 23, 2020
NBA star Dwyane Wade recently appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, when he spoke about the moment his daughter came out as trans and asked to be called Zaya.
“Me and my wife Gabrielle, we are proud parents of a child in the LGBT+ community and we are proud allies as well,” he said.
“We take our roles and responsibilities as parents very seriously. So when our child comes home with a question or an issue, it’s our job as parents to listen and give them the best information we can and the best feedback we can.
“That doesn’t change because sexuality is now involved in it. So when Zaya, our 12-year-old, came home… and 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/her. I’d love for you guys to call me Zaya.’
“So it was our job to go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship we have. My wife reached out to everybody on the cast of Pose. We just tried to figure out as much information as we can, to make sure we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self.”
The Miami Heat star and Union, who have four children, have been staunch supporters of Zaya.
While a number of celebrities have made anti-trans comments about the 12-year-old, others – including Cardi B, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren – have showered her with love and support.