Dwyane Wade is opening up about his health journey, revealing he had a large portion of his kidney removed due to a cancerous tumor.
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The Miami Heat legend spoke about the tumor publicly for the first time on his podcast, The Why. In the episode, uploaded on Thursday, Jan. 30, Dwyane and his cohost, Bobby Metelus, hosted their first-ever live audience at a Men’s Wellness Retreat, bringing together 30 men for a powerful conversation about health, wellness, and brotherhood.
During their conversation, both men reflected on the importance of mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, emphasizing the need for men to check in with each other and create safe spaces for vulnerability. This opened up a conversation about Wade’s health scare, which came just a few years after he retired from the NBA in 2019.
Wade revealed the “shocking” diagnosis that led to him having 40% of his right kidney removed 13 months ago. This came after years of him admitting that he put off going to the doctor for a physical.
Inspired by his father Dwyane Wade Sr.’s journey with prostate cancer, the retired balled finally went to the doctor and shared that he had been having stomach issues, cramps, and that he was urinating slowly.
“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 recalled on his podcast.
After receiving a full-body scan, it was revealed that there was a “cyst/tumor” on one of his kidneys, which led to the doctor telling him he needed kidney surgery. Multiple other doctors agreed with the diagnosis, so Wade made the decision to undergo surgery on Dec. 18, 2023. Only after removing nearly half of his left kidney, doctors were able to determine that the tumor was cancerous.
Because of this frightening experience, the former NBA star says he learned the true meaning of family, revealing that his loved ones saw him in “probably the weakest point I’ve ever felt in my life.”
“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. “The moment I was by myself, I was struggling, dog.”
He continued, “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.”
Throughout the process, Wade admits that showing his vulnerability was another lesson he learned along the way.
“As a man, you never want your family to see you weak,” he said. “Don’t want to be perceived weak, don’t want to be seen in your weakest moments but I had to.”
See Dwyane Wade talk about his diagnosis and the aftermath, in full, on his podcast above.