Who is Zaya Wade? All about Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade's daughter as she reacts to their Met Gala look

Author Siohvaughn Funches and NBA star Dwyane Wade welcomed their daughter Zaya Wade on May 29, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois.

The former couple finalized their divorce in 2010, with the athlete getting custody of their two kids, Zaire and Zaya.

On May 5, the former basketball point guard walked on the 2025 Met Gala red carpet with his wife, Gabrielle Union.

Taking to Instagram stories the next day, she shared her reaction to her father and stepmother's fascinating appearance at the iconic charity event. The couple coordinated their couture and donned black-and-white Prada looks, representing the 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' theme.

Zaya Wade recorded the screening of Gabrielle and Dwyane posing for the photographers on the carpet and expressed her excitement and joy at seeing them flaunt their style perfectly.

According to an E! Online report, she was heard rooting for her stepmom and dad, saying,

"Alright, show up and show out! This is what we wanna see."

Seeing Dwyane gracing his presence on the carpet, the teen shouted for her father and shared words of encouragement,

"OK, Dad, OK, get a solo."

She continued with her Met Gala commentary, reacting,

"Oh, this is so cute. Oh, he feeling himself."

Zaya Wade also praised Gabrielle Union's final look for the event and complimented her sweetly, sharing,

"Look at her necklace, it's so pretty. Oh, this is gorgeous. This is what I want for my parents."

The celebrity couple's walk on the red carpet has completely captivated their daughter. Excitedly, she expressed her approval for their excellent fashion choices and chimed in on her Instagram story,

"I approve, I approve, I approve. They're representing for me."

Everything we know about Zaya Wade

At just 17, Zaya has achieved significant milestones in her professional field. She is a well-known model and has collaborated with renowned global fashion brands. Her impressive modeling portfolio features prominent names such as Miu Miu, Puma, and Tiffany & Co., among others.

Essence confirmed that Zaya Wade entered this glamorous runway world with Miu Miu in March 2023. She debuted with Miu Miu during Paris Fashion Week, donning an olive green ensemble. Additionally, she was a part of Miu Miu's Fall/Winter campaign.

The teen also worked with Puma as an ambassador and designed her custom shoes. She joined the sportswear brand for the "FOREVER. CLASSIC" campaign.

She expressed her enthusiasm about this partnership and penned,

"I’m so excited to share my custom Palermos with everyone. I had so much fun with the designing process and being able to incorporate music into them. Music has been such a vital part of my life and the SOS and Renaissance album are two albums that have had a great impact on me, so I had to reflect my take away from those albums."

Zaya further wrote,

"'Good days on my mind' and 'All up in your mind' both speak to my feeling about 2023 and how I’ve grown as a person 🖤"

Over the years, Zaya signed deals with several brands to be a part of their campaigns. From modeling for K.NGSLEY to Warby Parker, she continues to break new ground in the fashion scene, representing diversity.

In 2020, she came out as transgender, and her father and stepmother supported her on this journey. Beyond modeling, she advocates self-expression and works for the LGBTQ+ community.

According to Seventeen, Zaya Wade and Dwyane Wade co-founded "Translatable." Launched on May 23, 2024, this nonprofit organization opens doors to a resourceful platform to support transgenders and their voices. She received the 2024 Out100 Groundbreaker award for this incredible movement.

In a conversation with the outlet, she spoke about her initiative.

"I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with an idea for Translatable and have to write it down."

She further continued,

"I’m just so passionate about what it can represent and what it can become. It’s the worst handwriting you’ve ever seen, chicken scratch because it’s 1 in the morning."

Zaya Wade is a member of Gen-Z, and her dreams and passion align with this generation. However, circumstances do not always resemble a smooth sail, despite hailing from a supportive background.

Calling her life's tapestry a "giant burden," she admitted,

"It’s ego-boosting, I’m not going to lie. But it’s also a giant burden. It’s hard to be Gen Z. It’s also really easy to be Gen Z at the same time."

Referring to the pros and cons and many expectations for Gen Z, she also said,

"It’s genuinely easy to express yourself, the biggest way being on social media. There’s plenty of positives and plenty of negatives to that. But the expectations for my generation are so much—we don’t always have the capacity that others think we do, and that’s incredibly suffocating. There’s so much pressure to supersede all of the downs of the past 50 years. Like, 'We know you can take these things and make it better.' What? Are you talking to me? I’m a 17-year-old."

Zaya Wade's next goal is to attend a college, desiring to find and work with her community "to keep the queer community across the country strong." Calling herself a "nerd," she also talked about achieving straight A grades in her high school.