Dwyane Wade reveals he had surgery to remove cancerous tumor: 'They took 40% of my kidney'
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade revealed in a podcast published this week that he had a cancerous tumor and large portion of his kidney surgically removed roughly a year ago.
Speaking at a wellness retreat recorded for "The Why with Dwyane Wade," Wade said he went a few years without an annual physical, but his father's battle with prostate cancer led to him requesting a full-body physical from a doctor. He also said he had been dealing with cramps and urinary issues.
The scan revealed a tumor on his kidney that could only be tested by surgery. After seeking opinions from multiple doctors, Wade opted for surgery on Dec. 18, 2023, which confirmed he had cancer and required removal of part of his kidney.
"Thank God that I did do the surgery because the tumor was cancerous, so I have one kidney and I have another kidney that is 60%. They took 40% of my kidney to make sure they could get all of the cancer off of it, because if it sits there on your kidney, it spreads and now they got to take more and more."
Wade said he spoke with fellow Heat great Alonzo Mourning, who underwent a successful kidney transplant during his career in 2003, over questions about the process. He described the recovery as difficult, but found strength from his family and friends:
"My own journey, to have that surgery, I think it was the first time my family, my dad, my kids, they saw me weak. That moment was probably the weakest point I've ever felt in my life. The moments that I was by myself, I didn't like. I was struggling. One thing you never want to do as a man, you never want your family to see you weak. It's tough. Don't want to be perceived weak and you don't want to be seen in your weak moments, but I had to. Fortunately for me, my family got in, they jumped in.
"I saw everybody show up for me and be there for me and in that process of my weakness, I found strength in my family, in my friends, in my group. "
A year later, Wade said he was surprised by how little physical care he needed in the months after the surgery, while remaining in frequent communication with his doctor, but he described one night in which he had to go to the bathroom multiple times and had to sleep on his left side because it felt like his organs were moving.
Wade also said he has undergone a biopsy on his prostate due to his family history.
Upon reflection, he said the whole process has given him a new perspective on life:
"That moment I went through that, I told myself before I went under anesthesia, when I was like 'If I come out of this, if the Lord brings me out of this, I'm going to do things differently.' And I came out of that and I've been doing things differently. I've been attacking life. I'm not waiting."
It has been nearly six years since Wade ended his NBA career with the Heat. The three-time NBA champion and 13-time All-Star was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023 and received a statue at the Heat's Kaseya Center last October.
In retirement, Wade has joined the ownership groups of the Utah Jazz and the WNBA's Chicago Sky. He has also worked as a broadcast analyst and host of TBS' "The Cube."
