Gabrielle Union & Dwyane Wade Cheer Daughter Zaya On For Her Sweet 16

Gabrielle Union & Dwyane Wade continue to be the biggest fans of their trans daughter Zaya as they mark her milestone birthday with the sweetest snaps!

The power couple, who recently moved their family out of Florida due to the state's anti-LGBTQ+ policies, did not spare their fans as they posted pictures highlighting a few milestones from Zaya's life over the last year. In addition to some family shots, the Yumi investor and her beau shared views from their baby girl's runway debut for Miu Miu during this year's Paris Fashion Week.

While it is no longer news that Union is miles ahead of being an average mother, the actress has further solidified her "cool mom" status with her photo dump celebrating Zaya's 16th birthday. Taking to Instagram on Monday, the mom-of-one shared multiple slides of some of her fondest memories with the budding model, starting with a grainy shot of them hugging and smiling.

In the image, the "Bring It On" star donned a long white coat while her stepdaughter rocked a black long-sleeved shirt and a similarly colored miniskirt. For the next slide, Zaya was stunned as she walked between her famous parents, wearing another all-black outfit that proved her fashionista skills.

A scroll through the remaining slides featured the mother-daughter duo posing for a mirror selfie, a group shot of Zaya and her parents wearing matching Matrix-inspired outfits, and a clip of Union and Zaya laughing while standing on a boardwalk overlooking the ocean. Another video spotlighted the straight-faced 16-year-old walking out of a room to her proud parents loudly cheering her on.

"In love with the support you give her," one person commented under the "16 🖤" captioned Instagram post. Another fan gushed about the celebrant, "Getting prettier and more graceful as she grows."

Although Wade's "Let's go!" comment earned him nearly 1.5k likes, the retired NBA star followed up with a carousel of happy moments with his beloved baby girl on his feed. Like his wife, the father-of-five began with a grainy photograph of him and Zaya, showing off his broad smile as he pulled his daughter close.

The celebrant donned a flowy orange dress and a black hairdo in the next slide before she wore a white shirt and nude jacket for a moment with her dad in a third picture. Other declines were reminiscent of Zaya's incredible style, with one showing her in a white gown with tiny straps and additional mesh sleeves and another in a cropped long-sleeved jean jacket, a plaid bottom, and dark sunglasses. 

Wade finished the slideshow with a pre-transition video of his daughter wearing a costume and doing a signature handshake. He captioned "6Teen 🫶🏽" photos, getting over 292k people to double-tap it and thousands of others to comment.

The last time the former Miami Heat player got so much traction on an Instagram post was in March when he honored Zaya during her debut as a runway model. Per The Blast, he had uploaded a reel of the teen dominating the Paris Fashion Week walkway in an olive green two-piece featuring a sweater dress and an oversized jacket.  

The fit paired perfectly with her caramel-colored Miu Miu purse, dangling charms, and a black strap. The view got liked over 95k times and almost 4k comments.

Proof that Union's dedication to unconditionally loving her stepdaughter had paid off came during an interview that Zaya did in March. The show-stopper had appeared on the cover of that month's Dazed issue, and for that, she opened up about the life lessons she learned from the "She's All That" star, especially on her journey to accepting herself. In the words of the influencer:

"The lesson has changed over time, but more recently, it's that beauty is in yourself. It's about being you and expressing yourself the way you want to. She tries to teach me that beauty standards are arbitrary and that they don't mean anything."

Zaya addressed what had gathered regarding standards and self-acceptance, stating, "They don't matter anymore; what people thought was the standard is not. And just that being myself is the best technique out there."

She also touched on her family's approval of her transition and journey as a transgender person, explaining that since their "understanding of acceptance" had deepened in recent years, they have continued to keep themselves "educated" while fighting against "the ignorance."