MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Dwyane Wade shamed as 'disgusting' after trans child Zaya honors Kobe with a jersey dress

NBA player Kwame Brown slammed Zaya saying Kobe's own family would never do this, though Kobe's daughter Natalia Bryant showed love on Zaya's post

NBA player Dwyane Wade was received immense backlash as a parent after his transgender daughter Zaya Wade posed in a No. 8 jersey dress to honor Kobe Bryant. Zaya, who is 14 years old, shared a photo of herself in the iconic yellow Lakers jersey immortalized by Kobe, as she wrote in caption, "Always remembering and honoring Kobe and Gianna. ♡."

Her attire appeared custom-made where the jersey extended into a dress with frills, as she paired it with a bright yellow long skirt. Zaya also shared an old photo of herself and father Dwyane Wade with Vanessa and Gigi Bryant. However, the teenager's heartfelt tribute did not sit well with many admirers of Kobe Bryant as they lashed out at Wade for bad parenting. In fact, Wade's Lakers teammate Kwame Brown slammed Zaya's tribute as "disrespectful" saying, "You are letting your woman control your house."

READ MORE

Did LeBron James skip Kobe Bryant's memorial? Fans wonder since he did not speak and there are no pics of him

Kobe Bryant had filed trademark for daughter Gianna's nickname 'Mambacita' a month before their deaths

Dwyane Wade doesn't 'level up as a man'

In an elaborate rant on his YouTube show 'Bust Life', Brown further added that Dwyane Wade doesn't "level up as a man." He noted that even Kobe's own wife and children would never honor him in the way Zaya did. However, his claim might not be entirely true as Kobe Bryant's daughter Natalia commented a series of hearts on Zaya Wade's photo.

But Kwame Brown's rant did not stop here. "I'm not saying there's anything against homosexuals, but [Kobe] is a heterosexual man. Why is he being honored by making his jersey into a dress? Wear his goddamn jersey for the day to honor him without the dress part," Brown added. 

The backlash, however, did not remain restricted to Kwame Brown, as Dwyane Wade was lambasted on social media by hundreds of Kobe fans. Many transphobic trolls even spewed hatred and disgust for the NBA player's child who is only 14. 

"You are a disgusting individual and a very disrespectful one at that. One thing for sure, you a terrible parent. And how you turned your kid into an abomination is sick," tweeted a sick troll. Another said, "Dwayne Wade, like Magic Johnson before him sold out his child who is transgender. More athletes selling their souls and their childrens souls for fame!!"

"Dwayne Wade letting his young son pay tribute to Kobe Bryant by wearing a jersey dress is disgusting, disrespectful and out of line, wasn't nothing feminine or gay about Kobe, he was a father, husband and a man's man, D-wade you wack as hell for that," another transphobic user tweeted.

How did Dwyane Wade react to the backlash?

Dwyane Wade has been extremely supportive of his child's choice ever since she came out two years ago. Once known as Zion, Wade's daughter was assigned a male at birth. She changed her name to Zaya after identifying as transgender at 12 years of age. Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union have been vocal about LGBTQ rights and also participated in Pride Walk as allies.  

Wade is yet to comment on the backlash against him and Zaya, but he expressed his complete support to Zaya's unique tribute to Kobe and Gigi Bryant. He even mentioned that he was a proud "Girl Dad!" in the comment section of Zaya's post.