Dwyane Wade on Mike Tyson defending Wade's trans daughter, Zaya

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Dwyane Wade is opening up about how Mike Tyson defended his 13-year-old daughter, Zaya Wade, from transphobic comments made by rapper Boosie Badazz back in February.

In an interview with Central Ave, Wade, 38, said he “appreciated” what the former pro-boxer had to say.

“I actually talked to Mike about that earlier in the pandemic, we had a conversation. I appreciated it from the standpoint of Mike is someone who has never tried to be perfect,” the former NBA star explained.

“He is someone who has learned from this journey of life. He’s one of those people… he’s so smart, he’s so educated and knowledgeable about life. And for him to be able to drop that nugget on the world, to me, it was great to hear him say that.”

Wade continued, explaining, “I understand that everyone has their own path and journey towards accepting things. I’ve never came out and said anything to anybody that feels a certain way about me or someone else in my family or my loved ones because they don’t know us, they don’t know our hearts, they definitely don’t know Zaya.”

“All I do is what my mama say, just pray for them,” he concluded.

In February, Boosie sat down with Tyson on his podcast, “Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson.”

During their conversation, the 54-year-old called out the rapper, 38, for his derogatory comments, including past remarks about Wade’s teenage daughter who came out as transgender last year.

“I commented on the Dwyane Wade situation because it's a child. That's why I got offended,” the rapper said. “I felt like a child at 12, can't make that decision. That's how I feel. I just feel like, that was going too far.”

Related: President-elect Joe Biden issued a statement Friday recognizing Transgender Day of Remembrance and the 37 trans lives lost to violence so far this year.

Tyson responded, “I agree with you, right, but check this out: Who the f--k am I to say anything?”

“Who are you? What happened to you that made you think you can make a comment about somebody else's life?” he added. “I used to think I could make a comment about somebody else's life."

The rapper replied saying that his mother told him the same thing, adding, “But I said it and I stand on what I said.”

"Really?” Tyson replied. "I realized about myself, sometimes I have to say … ’I’m wrong.'"

During an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in February, Wade opened about Zaya coming out to her family as transgender.

“Zaya, our 12-year-old, came home ... and said, ‘Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward, and I’m ready to live my truth. And I want to be referenced as she and her. I’d love for you guys to call me Zaya,’” the father of four recalled.

Related: Transgender actor Josie Totah has a starring role as popular cheerleader Lexi in the Peacock reboot of the hit early '90s series.

Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union, were chosen as part of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020 list, celebrating Zaya in a video that accompanied their selection.

"It's beautiful to watch truly free children. We have another daughter who is 13 who has the freedom to be exactly who she is, who she was born to be, to be her most authentic self," Union said in the video. "She doesn't ask permission to exist. That is wildly inspiring."

Wade added, "To echo my wife, I'm inspired by our kids. The way they look at us, the way they look to us for leadership, for guidance, for their moments of bravery."

This story originally appeared on TODAY.com.

Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram