Dwyane Wade discloses removal of malignant growth from kidney

Legendary basketball player Dwyane Wade underwent a surgical procedure to eliminate a cancerous growth from his right kidney in December 2023, as he disclosed on his podcast released on Thursday.

The 43-year-old Wade spoke publicly about his health issue for the first time on \"The Why with Dwyane Wade\" while conversing with his podcast co-host Bob Metelus.

After experiencing changes in his urination, which had become slower and weaker, Wade consulted a doctor.

\"Since I had a full body scan, they were able to examine my entire body, my internal organs, and they detected something on my kidney,\" he stated.

Wade mentioned that doctors identified a potential cyst or tumor and advised surgery as the area could not be biopsied. He sought multiple medical opinions to confirm the diagnosis.

\"I had to make a personal decision, and it was, \'If this is cancerous, if this tumor, this cyst is cancerous, on your kidney, you\'re 41 years old, you probably need surgery because it\'s something that needs to be removed so it doesn\'t spread,\' \" Wade shared.

He further added that 40 percent of his right kidney was removed during the surgery.

\"I am grateful that I underwent the surgery because the tumor was indeed cancerous,\" Wade expressed.

He described it as one of the most vulnerable moments of his life.

\"I believe it was the first time my family, my father, my children, saw me in a weak state,\" Wade admitted. \"That moment was probably the weakest point I have ever experienced in my life. The moments when I was alone, I was struggling, man.

\"As a man, you never want your family to see you weak. You don\'t want to be perceived as weak, and you don\'t want to be seen in your moments of weakness, right? But I had to be.\"

The support of his family was crucial for Wade throughout the process.

\"... during my moments of weakness, I found strength in my family.\"

Wade was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. The fifth overall pick in 2003 from Marquette University, the guard played 16 seasons in the NBA, including 14-plus seasons over two stints with the Miami Heat, winning league championships in 2006, 2012, and 2013. He also played for the Chicago Bulls (2016-17) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18).

The 13-time All-Star had an average of 22.0 points, 5.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals while shooting 48 percent from the field.