Dwyane Wade’s mother, Jolinda Wade, is sharing one of her biggest blessings: her son.
On Monday, during a special appearance on “Today with Jenna and Friends,” the 70-year-old pastor revealed how her only son has remained in her corner and among her support system even through some of her darkest times.
As the 43-year-old retired NBA player kicked off co-hosting the spot for the week on Monday, he received a special message from mom.
“You are and have always been a blessing,” Mama Wade gushed in a pre-recorded message that preceded her appearance during the show. “A blessing to me and so many others whose lives you have touched.”
She went on to thank him for keeping the line of communication open even while she was incarcerated.
“I remember how we became pen pals when I was incarcerated,” she recalled. “Your letters got me through each day and enabled me to be a part of all the wonderful things that was happening in your life.”
She also highlighted his current journey as a husband and father of five children.
“When you sent me pictures of my grandson Zaire, I was able to tell from your letters how very proud you were,” she said. “You made up your mind that you were going to be the best dad you could be and that is exactly what you’ve become. Son, you are simply one of the best dads a child could have. Just like everything else in your life, you give fatherhood your all.”
She expressed high praise for how Dwyane has raised his daughter Zaya, who came out as transgender in 2020.
“My love, I admire how you embrace your beautiful child Zaya — my granddaughter,” Jolinda continued. “And you encourage her to be who she is. What a dad. You protect her, you speak with her to understand who she is. You don’t judge or condemn.”
Later, when she was actually on the show next to her son, Jolinda continued to praise him and got real about her past that led her to incarceration.
“My kids struggled with me,” she shared. “I grappled many years with drug addiction. Heroin, alcohol, pills, well, you know, we can go on down you name it. Alcoholism, homelessness, in and out of prison. Just living a life that was totally separated from my babies. One thing I always wanted to be was a mother and once I stopped being that person, I lost me. And I didn’t know how to grab me back at the time.”
Jolinda also said she struggled with suicidal thoughts, saying it was her kids who always kept her from hurting herself.
“When suicide came up, I would see their faces. I didn’t want to do it anymore,” she noted. “One thing about my precious four babies — they never stopped loving me. They never stopped loving me, never judged me, never condemned me.”
After her release in 2003, Jolinda found sobriety, became an ordained pastor, and began preaching. In 2008, Wade purchased a church in Chicago for her.
She added that Dwyane has always supported her publicly, sharing her testimony.
“I remember my son, when they first wanted to do a story about me, and I told him because I wanted to respect the space that he had got in, and he said, ‘Ma, you go and tell your story because the only thing it’s going to do is help someone,’ ” she said.
Dwyane reassured her that even as a young boy watching her go through what she did, he never had judgment, just love. While he admitted “it has been a journey,” he added, “No one makes me smile as big as my mom.”
