Dwyane Wade on His Son Zion, 12, Attending Pride Parade: 'My Job as a Father Is … to Support Them'

Dwyane Wade is opening up about supporting his son at a Miami Pride parade earlier this year.

In April, the 37-year-old NBA star shared photos of his son Zion Malachi Airamis, 12, with the child’s stepmom Gabrielle Union and other family members at the 11th annual Miami Beach Pride parade.

Zion held up a rainbow flag and heart in one snapshot with 17-year-old big brother Zaire Blessing Dwyane sporting a matching pin, a yellow tank top and sneakers and green shorts. “It’s a family thing,” Wade wrote on the photo.

“We support each other with Pride!” the basketball player captioned another snap.

“I don’t really talk about it much because it’s Zion’s story to tell,” Wade told Variety about the parade in a new interview. “I think as a family, we should support each other. That’s our job. And my job as a father is to facilitate their lives and to support them and be behind them in whatever they want to do.”

Wade also shared his advice for other parents during June, which is celebrated as Pride Month each year.

“I think people expect you to parent each kid the same,” the athlete said. “They are all different, and I have to get to know them and where they are. I have to say to most parents, get to know your kids. Don’t put your wants and needs on them.”

“This is my job as a father,” Wade continued. “I’m very uneasy about accolades that come from supporting my kids or the negativity that comes from it. I’m doing what every parent has to do.”

“Once you bring kids into this world, you become unselfish,” he added. “It’s my job to be their role model, to be their voice in my kids’ lives, to let them know you can conquer the world. So, ‘Go and be your amazing self and we’re going to sit back and just love you.'”

Zion was surrounded by supportive family members at the April parade — from stepmom Union, 46, to 7-month-old baby sister Kaavia James.

One photo from the event showed a group consisting of 14 individuals (including Zion, Zaire, Union and Kaavia), which Wade posted with a rainbow-flag emoji.

“Zion had his [own] cheering section today,” the proud papa — who was absent from the gathering, due to being in Toronto for a Miami Heat game against the Raptors — wrote alongside the April snap. “Wish I was there to see you smile kid!”