Dwyane Wade Lashes out at NBC, Defends Wife Gabrielle Union
Dwyane Wade is attacking NBC as hard as he ever attacked the basket while driving for a game-winning lay-up at the buzzer. The retired NBA star has launched a social media barrage in defense of wife Gabrielle Union, who is in a bitter dispute with the network.
Dwyane Wade goes on the attack
Retired Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade has squeezed a month’s worth of social media into the past week.
On Tuesday, Wade went onto Instagram to urge people to vote in presidential primaries in the aftermath of protests that followed the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman. That incident was videotaped and widely shared, creating international outrage.
On Thursday, Wade tackled an issue closer to home, attacking NBC after wife Gabrielle Union filed a complaint against her former employer. Union was fired from America’s Got Talent last November, reportedly after alleging a toxic atmosphere of racism and harassment.
Wade went on Twitter to vent after an entertainment writer’s report that NBC denied Gabrielle Union’s allegations.
“Y’all have deemed her a liar after months of trying to inform y’all of the issues in the work place and also make sure other employees of color that comes after her won’t have the same experiences,” he wrote.
In a subsequent tweet, Wade said his family was being followed. He did not specify who he believed was responsible.
“My daughter couldn’t even go to swim class without us being trailed by people looking for answers,” he wrote.
The Wades have been a two-career family
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union began dating in 2008 and split up briefly in 2013 only to become engaged to each other later that year. They were married in August 2014.
Wade, 38, was a Marquette University basketball star who was drafted fifth overall in 2003 and went on to a 16-year career in the NBA, primarily with the Miami Heat. He was a 13-time All-Star who also played on the bronze-medal U.S. team at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the championship squad at the 2008 Beijing Games.
The 6-foot-4 guard helped the Heat to NBA championships in 2006, ’12, and ’13, earning the finals MVP award in his third season in the league. After brief stints with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade returned to finish his career with the Heat.
He retired in 2019 with career averages of 22.0 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Union, 47, has had an extensive Hollywood career beginning with sitcom appearances in the 1990s, including a recurring role on 7th Heaven. Her big-screen break came in Bring It On in 2000.
She has been nominated for the BET Award for Best Actress eight times, including for Bad Boys II with Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. Most recently, she was cast in the cable television series L.A.’s Finest and signed as a judge for America’s Got Talent.
The dispute between Gabrielle Union and the network
Gabrielle Union filed a complaint with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing against NBC and the producers of America’s Got Talent, alleging she was fired last fall after one season on the show after complaining about a “toxic” work culture.
Union’s filing said she was harassed and discriminated against because of her race. Network and show officials responded that Union’s concerns were investigated and found to be unsubstantiated.
