A lasting love! Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade are the definition of relationship goals, but they have also worked hard to ensure the longevity of their romance.
The Being Mary Jane alum and former Miami Heat baller met in 2007 while cohosting a sponsored Super Bowl party. Though things appeared to be heating up between the pair, they briefly called it quits in early 2013.
“When you’re debating whether to go backward or forward, you have to look at the original issue,” she explained to Glamour in 2014. “[When Dwyane and I broke up briefly in 2013], it was because of distance and scheduling. I finished filming the show, then I flew to Vegas right away to start shooting Think Like a Man Too. I couldn’t take time off, and I missed some quality togetherness we desperately needed.”
Union continued, “Over the summer, I reassessed priorities. I’d always wanted an awesome career with back-to-back projects, but I realized I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my relationship for it. Moving forward, I decided my work schedule has to make sense for our family.”
The lovebirds reconciled and got engaged in December 2013 after taking some time apart. Union and Wade tied the knot in August 2014 in a lavish ceremony in Miami.
Four years after their nuptials, the duo welcomed their daughter Kaavia via surrogate after Union suffered multiple miscarriages. The retired NBA star, who welcomed children Zaire in 2002 and Zaya in 2007 with ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches, has had sole custody of his oldest kids since 2011. He was also awarded full custody of his nephew, Dahveon, in 2014.
Wade and Union faced another challenge in their relationship when he welcomed son Xavier in 2013 with Aja Metoyer while on a break from the actress. In his 2020 ESPN documentary, D. Wade: Life Unexpected, he admitted that telling Union he was expecting a child with another woman was the “hardest thing” he’s ever done.
“Me and Gab just went through something that you never want to go through and we still came out of it,” he said at the time. “Not that it was easy, and that was another moment that showed me life could be different.”
Scroll down to see Union and Wade’s love story through the years.
Having both been previously married, Union and Wade (pictured here at the Hublot Bal Harbour Boutique opening in Miami) took their time getting engaged. "If the goal is forever, what are we rushing for?" Union told Access Hollywood in 2012.
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Smitten sweeties! The couple (pictured here at the Remy V New Year's Eve dinner in Miami) dated for four years before getting engaged. "What you learn from divorce is you have to be incredibly honest, about what you want, what you need, and what your expectations are," Union said in 2012. "As women, we're sort of taught to go along, to get along, not cause any ruffles…but yeah, that got me divorced."
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Not-so-secret smooch! Union and Wade have walked many red carpets together, including here at the basketball star’s 30th birthday party in Miami. “She makes my eyes sparkle,” the Miami Heat player gushed to Oprah Winfrey in 2012.
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Though she sat front row at A Night on the RunWade For Wade’s World Foundation event in Miami, Union has been banned from sitting courtside at her beau’s games. "That got killed when I became too vocal," Union explained on Conan in 2012. "He was like, 'We're going to need you to sit a few rows back because I can hear you.'"
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Christmas bliss! Union and Wade spent the holiday season at a Wade’s World Foundation event, dressed in matching green and red. "We're a family, and we're growing as a family every day. And I think that's the great thing about it," Wade said in 2012.
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It turns out, Wade isn’t just a big deal in the States. When the couple took a trip to China together, his fiancee learned just how much of a celebrity she was marrying. “I didn’t realize, but he’s like Justin Bieber in China,” she told Ellen DeGeneres in 2014. “I was not even prepared for this.”
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Glam grins! Though she dresses up for the red carpet (pictured here at the ESPN Magazine party in Hollywood), Union admitted that she has a much more laid-back style. “I’m the girl that would just rather be at sports bar watching the game with a cold beer,” she told Us in 2014.
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Though they briefly split in 2013 due to “distance and scheduling,” Union (pictured here with her man at Entertainment Weekly’s pre-Emmys party in West Hollywood) told Glamour she “reassessed priorities” and decided to give the relationship another go.
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Beach babes! The couple, who are nine years apart in age, are both easy on the eyes (pictured here in Malibu). "I think he's so delicious,” Union told Glamour. “Watching him get out of the shower never gets old. Never.”
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After their time apart, Wade decided he wanted to seal the deal and propose to his longtime girlfriend. Enlisting the help of his sons from a previous marriage Zaire and Zion, he popped the question at the construction site for the family’s new home. The boys held up signs saying “Will you marry us?” and Wade presented his future bride with an 8.5 carat Jason of Beverly Hills diamond ring.
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Seeing fireworks! Union was impressed by her athlete love early on. “He had wisdom that comes with facing an insane amount of adversity," she told Glamour. "He's sweet, funny, honest about his shortcomings."
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Happily engaged, the duo, pictured here on Valentine’s Day at the NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, was stronger than ever. “I’m just so happy,” she told Queen Latifah in 2014. “We got this amazing gift at a second chance. He just asked me to commit to trying, to put our family back together, to make our family whole.”
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They do! Union and Wade tied the knot in a stunning ceremony at the Chateau Artisan castle in Miami. The day was picture-perfect and mostly planned by the groom. "Secretly this is his princess moment," Union told Ellen DeGeneres in 2014. "He has waited for this for a long time. He's been hoarding bridal magazines. He's very ready… Every aspect — aspects I didn't even know went into wedding planning — he is on."
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The goofy pair decided to strike some hilarious poses at the NBA player's Runwade event in Miami. Union previously expressed how much she adores her husband's sense of humor, telling Glamour in its February 2014 issue: "He had wisdom that comes with facing an insane amount of adversity. He's sweet, funny, honest about his shortcomings."
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They say couples resemble each other! During a Hot Pot excursion in Beijing, the lovebirds matched in coordinating hats and adorably picked up their teacups — in unison.
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Her man knows that he's lucky! Wade let his stunning wife shine in the spotlight at the L.A. premiere of Straight Outta Compton. Meanwhile, he attentively took photos of the Being Mary Jane actress from one side of the step-and-repeat.
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Under his umbrella, ella, ella! A dolled-up Union glamorously made her way through the U.S. Open in NYC alongside her husband, who gallantly held up an umbrella to shield her from the rain.
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Union opened about her struggles with fertility in an interview with Redbook. In addition to noting, “The penance for being a career woman is barrenness,” the Being Mary Jane star also admitted: “So far, it has not happened for us. A lot of my friends deal with this.”
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As a stepmom to Wade’s kids, Zaire, Zion and Xavier, the Bring It On star recognized her husband’s parenting skills. She even told Us Weekly that the athlete was “the perfect” father.
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Union revealed one way she and Wade bond in her “25 Things You Don’t Know About Me” profile. “I love a good tailgate,” the actress told Us. “My husband and I have started a tradition of going to the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ home opener every year.”
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The She’s All That star told Us after three years of marriage that the NBA player’s “ass” was what she loved most about him. However, he was not without his aggravating habits. “He doesn’t put the cap back on the toothpaste. I think he does it to annoy me at this point,” she joked. “It gets that weird crust. I’ve tweeted about it, I’ve Instagrammed about it. I don’t know.”
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“I’ve had eight or nine miscarriages,” Union wrote in her October 2017 book, We’re Going to Need More Wine. “For three years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant — I’ve either been about to go into an IVF cycle, in the middle of an IVF cycle, or coming out of an IVF cycle.” Wade later showed his support, tweeting: “My wife is one strong individual!!!”
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The 10 Things I Hate About You actress got real about her sex life during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “You’ve got to space that out between games,” she said. “Off-season, it’s a nice time, it’s a good time, it’s a very active time.”
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It’s a girl! The couple welcomed their first child together, Kaavia James, in November 2018. “We are sleepless and delirious but so excited to share that our miracle baby arrived last night via surrogate and 11/7 will forever be etched in our hearts as the most loveliest of all the lovely days,” Union announced on Instagram. “Welcome to the party sweet girl!”
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Union expressed her love for Wade in a unique way — by wearing his face printed on her dress at an episode taping of America’s Got Talent.
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After it was reported on November 22 that Union was let go from America’s Got Talent after just one season — amid reports that she spoke out about the toxic work culture at the show — her husband took to Twitter to show his support.
“’Men lie, Women lie, numbers don’t.’ Over this past year I’ve been approached by many people saying that my wife @itsgabrielleu is the main reason they’ve started watching #AGT or that they love her insight and sincerity on the show,” the athlete wrote on Twitter on November 27. “So, when I got the news that my wife was being fired—my first question was obviously why!? I am still waiting on a good answer to that question. But if anyone knows @itsgabrielleu or have heard of her you know she’s an advocate for our community and culture.”
He continued by showing his partner some love writing, “As proud as I were of her being selected as a judge on #AGT— I am even more proud of her standing up for what she stands for and that’s US. So [cheers] to you @itsgabrielleu on not losing sight of the lessons we’ve talked about teaching our daughter and for kicking ass while you were on that platform. Number 1 judge on one of the biggest shows in the world.”
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The couple celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary on August 30, 2020, while on a tropical vacation. Wade posted a video from their wedding day on Instagram, writing, "6 years and counting......" Union shared a series of posts from friends offering their congrats as well as a clip of the pair posing together while "Anniversary" by Tony! Toni! Toné! played.
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The pair took a special trip to the Hamptons with Kaavia to celebrate the 4th of July. “Family Time North Fork Edition,” Union wrote via Instagram alongside a sweet clip of the family posing. A separate post showed the duo embracing as they watched their youngest daughter play. “Watching @kaaviajames be fearless and live her best life. The best feeling,” Union's caption read.
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During their summer vacation, which they jokingly referred to as the "Wade World Tour," the couple packed on the PDA while relaxing on a yacht. In one snap Union shared via Instagram, the pair shared a kiss while watching the sunset. They also rode jet skis and partied with friends and family who were on the trip as well.
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In her second memoir, You Got Anything Stronger?, Union opened up about the moment she found out that Wade had fathered a child with someone else during a break from their relationship.
“It should go without saying that we were not in a good place at the time that child was conceived,” she wrote in the 2021 book. “But we were doing much better when he finally told me about the pregnancy. To say I was devastated is to pick a word on a low shelf for convenience. … I have not had words, and even after untold amounts of therapy I am not sure I have them now.”
Union detailed how the couple worked through the initial pain to get to a better place at the time, explaining, “Each day, he had worked to be forgiven, and I had chosen to do so. And part of this journey of making peace with our love is also making peace with ourselves.”
That journey now includes her having to explain the eggplant emoji to her husband. While promoting her book on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the Bad Boys II actress revealed that Wade is a fan of a slim fit pant. "And the thing about a slim fit pant," she told host Jimmy Kimmel on September 29. "If you are a blessed person, a blessed gentleman — I was like, ‘Uh, there's lot of information there with that slim fit, with that particular cut.’”
It’s safe to say, the vegetable icon started popping up a lot in the comments on his Instagram. "He's like, ‘What is the eggplant emoji and why is that in my comments?'" she said, admitting he didn’t know the meaning behind the eggplant then, but “he knows now. I think it's the goal. I think it's the goal to have his comments section filled with eggplant [emojis].”
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