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NBA Legend Dwyane Wade Reveals 'Shocking' Cancer Diagnosis

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Jan 30, 2025 3:29 PM ET

The year 2023 saw NBA legend and Miami Heat icon Dwyane Wade get inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. But that same year also saw D-Wade go through a terrifying cancer diagnosis.

In the latest episode of The Why With Dwyane Wade, Wade revealed that he had to undergo surgery in December of 2023 to treat a cancerous tumor in his right kidney. He explained that the symptoms he had been experiencing at the time were terrifying and described it as the "weak point" of his life.

“On the process of checking, like, ‘Why is my piss coming out slow, why is my stream ain’t powerful? Why is it a little weak?’ ” Wade told podcast co-host Bob Metelus. “And the doctor was like, ‘You need to have kidney surgery.’"

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 06: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat reacts during their game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on March 06, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Wade said that the experience felt to him like the first time his family saw him as "weak."

“I think it was the first time that my family, my dad, my kids, they saw me weak,” Wade said.

“I saw my family that may not always talk, may not always agree. I saw everybody show up for me and be there for me.

“As a man, you never want your family to see you weak. Don’t want to be perceived weak, don’t want to be seen in your weakest moments but I had to."

Dwyane Wade Reveals He Had 40% of His Kidney Removed After Doctors Found Cancerous Tumor (Exclusive) https://t.co/waW4Kgzv6q
— People (@people) January 30, 2025

But he said he ultimately leaned on his family for support.

“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.’"

“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. 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.”

We're all glad to hear that D-Wade is doing better now that he's gotten his surgery.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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