Dwyane Wade Says Family Is His Motivation for Having Left Florida: 'Would Not Be Accepted' (Exclusive)

Dwyane Wade says he keeps his whole family's needs in consideration when making big decisions, like where to live, in his sitdown with Rachel Nichols

Dwyane Wade is talking about part of his family's reasoning for not staying in Florida.

The retired Miami Heat icon, 41, appears on Thursday's episode of Headliners with Rachel Nichols, where he's asked about Florida politicians who count themselves among his fans but are vocal proponents of LGBTQ policies that negatively impact families like the Wades.

"That's another reason why I don't live in that state," Wade, father to 15-year-old daughter Zaya, who came out as transgender in 2020, says in a clip shared exclusively with PEOPLE.

"A lot of people don't know that. I have to make decisions for my family, not just personal, individual decisions," the former NBA star continues.

"I mean, obviously, the tax [situation] is great. Having Wade County is great. But my family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there. And so that's one of the reasons why I don't live there."

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Related:Dwyane Wade's Daughter Zaya Granted Name Change and Legal Transition in Court

Elsewhere in the discussion, Wade shares more about his parenting philosophies, which he partially credits to his father's example.

"I tell my dad all the time, I'm just a mirror image of the way he loved us and the way that he accepted not only myself and my brothers but other kids in the community that didn't have father figures," Wade says.

"And so I don't know any difference. And so yes, I had to educate myself and yes, I had to get a better understanding. And yes, I had to lose some friends along the process, but I never wavered on loving my kids and trying to find space to get the chance to understand them," he levels.

Earlier this month, Wade and wife Gabrielle Union took daughter Kaavia James, 4, to Kaseya Center (formerly known as American Airlines Arena) in Miami, Florida and pointed out his jersey hanging in the rafters. Wade's Miami Heat jersey was retired in February 2020, with Union and a then-toddler Kaavia in tow for the special moment.

Wade — who is also dad to 8½-year-old son Xavier Zechariah and 20-year-old son, Zaire — could be seen holding his daughter, who both wore matching Udonis Haslem jerseys. He pointed to his jersey in the rafter and looked to be explaining it to Kaavia, who looked up at the uniform before wrapping her dad up in a hug.

"This is what legacy is all about. ❤️," Wade captioned the video shared on his Instagram Monday.

Headliners with Rachel Nichols is available streaming on Showtime on Thursdays.

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