Earlier this week, former NBA star and current NBC NBA analyst Dwyane Wade shared that he is finally feeling better following surgery to remove a cancerous mass from his liver. During the latest episode of his podcast, The Why with Dwyane Wade, which focused on men’s wellness and mental health advocacy, the Hall of Famer explained how he went to the hospital for a routine physical and mild stomach pain, which ultimately led to the discovery of a tumor on his kidney.
“I went into the doctor’s looking for something else. But because I did the full body scan, they were able to see my entire insides. They found something on my right kidney. What I had was a cyst, a tumor. However, they couldn’t test it without a surgical procedure. So, I went for a physical to check on myself, and now the doctor is like, ‘You need to have kidney surgery.’” Wade underwent the surgery over 13 months ago, during which 40 percent of his kidney was removed, and the mass was confirmed to be cancerous. Fortunately, he caught it early enough that it didn’t spread, bringing him some relief.
“To find out at 41 years old, pretty healthy guy, that I did have cancer,” he said. “Thank god I did the surgery. So, I have one kidney and another kidney that is at 60 percent.” He reflected on the emotional toll, saying, “I think it was the first time that my family, my dad, and my kids saw me weak. That moment was probably the weakest point I have ever felt in my life. The moments I was by myself, I was struggling. One thing you never want to do, as a man, is show weakness. You don’t want to be perceived as weak and don’t want to show your weak moments. But I had to. Fortunately, my family stepped in. I saw everybody show up.”
Although the initial recovery was challenging, Wade now feels great and continues to be routinely checked for other forms of cancer, such as prostate cancer. Since leaving TNT in 2022 after a three-year stint, Wade has remained in the spotlight, notably serving alongside Noah Eagle as the lead color analyst for NBC’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he received rave reviews.
With NBA coverage returning to NBC due to the new NBA media rights deal announced this past summer, fans can expect to see much more of Wade moving forward, especially since his health scare is now behind him.
