Dwyane Wade had a cancerous tumor removed from his right kidney 13 months ago, the former NBA star revealed on his podcast.
Wade said doctors removed 40% of his right kidney on Dec. 18, 2023.
“My own journey to have that surgery, I think it was the first time that my family, my dad, my kids, they saw me weak,” Wade said on The Why with Dwyane Wade. “That moment was probably the weakest point I’ve ever felt in my life.”
Wade said he had been putting off a physical but health concerns, including urinary issues, prompted a visit to a physician.
Wade, 43, explained that the area of concern could not be biopsied so he had surgery to remove the tumor.
“I had a personal decision to make, and what it was was, ‘If this is cancerous, if this tumor, this cyst is cancerous, on your kidney, you’re 41 years old, you probably need surgery because it’s something that needs to be removed so it doesn’t spread,’ ” Wade says.
Following surgery, the tumor was biopsied and found to be cancerous.
“What I saw in the midst of me going through my illness, I saw my family that may not always talk, may not always agree,’ Wade said on the podcast. ‘I saw everybody show up for me and be there for me and in that process, in my weakness I found strength in my family.”
Wade, who is married to Gabrielle Union, won three titles with the Miami Heat and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. He averaged 22.0 points, 5.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals and shot 48% from the field in his 16-year career.
Following his NBA career, Wade has been involved in entertainment production, broadcasting, podcasting and he is a partial owner of the Utah Jazz.
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt