During an episode of his podcast, former NBA star Dwayne Wade revealed that he underwent surgery last year to remove a cancerous tumor.
Wade said the diagnosis came as quite a shock.
“I’m an athlete who’s been pretty healthy,” he said. “I’ve been great.”
Professional athletes get regular, thorough medical checkups, but Wade admitted that he hadn’t seen doctors much in recent years.
“Post-retirement, you don’t get those same check-ups. You don’t have to get those same physicals. So you don’t.”
That is, until his father recently underwent surgery, and Wade thought that if his father had a certain problem, he might be susceptible to it as well. On top of that, he had some questions about a few minor health concerns—occasional stomach cramps and a weaker urine stream.
To play it safe, Wade opted for a full body scan.
“I didn’t go in for my kidneys,” Wade said. “But because I did the full-body scan, they were able to see my entire body, my entire insides.”
The doctors told him there was a cyst or a tumor of some sort on one of his kidneys, though it was not possible to determine whether it was cancerous or not—the safe bet was to remove it.
“At that moment right there, man, obviously, I had a decision to make,” he said.
After getting second opinions, Wade decided to proceed with surgery.
On Dec. 18, 2023, 40 percent of his right kidney was removed. Post-operation analysis revealed that he’d made the right call—the tumor proved indeed to be cancerous.
“Thank God that I did do the surgery, right?” Wade said.
Having made a career out of being in top shape as a professional athlete, Wade said seeing his health—and potentially his life—threatened by cancer while he was only 41 was a trying experience.
“I think it was the first time my family, my dad, my kids, they saw me weak,” Wade, who is a father to five, said.
“That moment was probably the weakest I’ve ever felt in my life,” he said. “The moments I was by myself, I was struggling.”
“One thing you never want to do as a man? You never want your family to see you weak.”
Fortunately, the ordeal brought everyone closer together.
“I found strength in my family, in my friends, in my group,” he said.
Wade said the ordeal made him realize our time on Earth is limited, and it profoundly impacted his outlook on life. “I’ve been doing things differently.”
This explains why the podcast episode was recorded at a wellness event Wade had organized, where he and a group of friends were focusing on their mental and physical wellness. “A time-out is needed,” he said.
“It’s our responsibility that we, as men, take time for ourselves to focus on us.”