Dwyane Wade is opening up this week about a difficult health battle that he recently had.
During the latest episode of his podcast “The Why with Dwyane Wade,” the retired Miami Heat legend revealed he had 40 percent of his right kidney removed due to a cancerous tumor. Wade said he had been having stomach and urinary issues and went into the doctor’s office to have a full-body scan done, which revealed the tumor. As a result, doctors recommended kidney surgery to remove the tumor, which Wade successfully had in Dec. 2023.
Wade added that the cancer was stage 1 and didn’t end up spreading beyond his kidney. While he also said his recovery was very tough and characterized it as “the weakest point I’ve ever felt in my life,” Wade said that he found strength in his family and friends and has since recovered fully. The three-time NBA champion also stressed the importance of prioritizing one’s health and getting regular checkups.
You can watch the full podcast episode here.
A 13-time NBA All-Star with the Heat, Wade retired after the 2018-19 season at age 37. He was 41 when he received his diagnosis and recently celebrated his 43rd birthday. Wade was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023 and felt well enough after his kidney surgery and recovery to call basketball games for NBC at last summer’s Paris Olympics. Now Wade may be in line for another big network television gig as well.
