Getty Dwyane Wade.
Recently retired NBA superstar Dwyane Wade is the focus of the ESPN documentary D. Wade: Life Unexpected, which covers the journey of the Miami Heat legend from childhood to retirement.
How to Watch ‘D. Wade: Life Unexpected’ Online
Every film in the complete 30 for 30 library, including D. Wade: Life Unexpected, can be watched with a subscription to ESPN+.
It costs $4.99 per month, or if you also want Hulu and Disney+, you can get all three for $12.99 per month, which works out to 25 percent savings:
Get the ESPN+/Disney+/Hulu Bundle
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch D. Wade: Life Unexpected on your computer via the ESPN website, or you can watch on your phone (iOS or Android), tablet, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox One or other compatible streaming device via the ESPN app.
‘D. Wade: Life Unexpected’ 30 for 30 Preview
Most NBA fans are familiar with Dwyane Wade: the three-time NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP and 13-time NBA All-Star. But the Wade most are unfamiliar with is the one off the court, which is covered extensively in the documentary D. Wade: Life Unexpected.
“I’m excited to share a side of myself with the world that not many people may know,” Wade said in a press release for the film. “This deeply personal documentary will give fans a never-before seen look not only at the behind-the-scenes of my sixteen year career in the NBA, but will peel back the curtain on my personal life – the highs, the lows and everything in between – showing how I created my own path to get to where I am today.”
The film was directed and executive produced Bob Metelus, a long-time friend of Wade and his family. He used unparalleled years of access to compile the footage for the documentary.
“Having had the opportunity to bear witness to Dwyane’s career over the years has been a privilege, and I’m honored to have been granted access to capture these powerful moments on and off the court during his journey,” said Metelus in a ESPN press release. “This is an honest, raw depiction of a truly inspirational man, and I’m thrilled to be able to share Dwyane’s story as a three-time NBA Champion, but also as a father, husband, businessman, philanthropist, style icon and friend.”
The documentary covers a lot of topics that are tough, including Wade’s divorce from his first wife and a bitter custody battle.
“My emotions were all over the place because on one hand, you want to celebrate a victory, but on the other end, no one wins,” Wade said. “There’s no winner in a custody battle.”
It also the topic of having to tell his wife, Gabrielle Union, that he conceived a child with another woman while they were on a break.
“I had a child with someone else and I had to tell her. Hardest thing I’ve ever had to do is man up and tell Gabrielle Union that I’ve had a child with somebody else,” Wade said in the documentary. “Me and Gab just went through something that you never want to go through and we still came out of it. Not that it was easy, and that was another moment that showed me life could be different.”
One of the topics that lit up social media from the documentary was Wade’s child, 12-year-old Zaya, saying she identifies as transgender.
“Zaya came home and said, ‘Hey, I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward, I’m ready to live my truth. I want to be referenced as she and her. I would love for you guys to call me Zaya,'” Wade told Ellen Degeneres on her show. “So internally it’s our job to one, go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship that we have. My wife [actor Gabrielle Union] reached out to everyone on the cast of Pose. We just tried to figure out as much information as we can to help our child be her best self.”
Wade went on to tell Robin Roberts on Good Morning America that he didn’t know how much he wanted it to be a topic in the documentary.
“I struggled on how much I wanted to talk about in the doc,” Wade revealed. “I actually didn’t talk about it a lot. But, I knew if I put it in the doc at all, it would be a big conversation. And we struggled with that from, ‘Yes, we understand that our daughter’s 12 years old.’ We struggled with what people would say about a 12-year-old making a decision about her life. But we also know our child.
“So we sit back and we say. ‘You know what?’ As parents, it’s our job to sit back and figure out and find the information that we can. And we’ve sat down together as a family. We’ve reached out to as many people as we can. We’ve researched as many things as we can to try to help not only our family but other people in this journey and along the way.”
There are also interviews with pivotal figures from Wade’s life, including Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem and Pat Riley.
Wade played mostly played for the Miami Heat over his storied career, but ended up playing for both the Cavaliers and Bulls later in his career before rejoining the Heat. Wade averaged 22 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists in his career, also winning a goal medal in 2008 at the Olympic games with Team USA.
What Other Content is on ESPN+?
Live Sports
Name a sport, and it’s probably on ESPN+ at some point throughout the year:
- UFC: Most “Fight Night” events are on ESPN+, while PPV events can be ordered through ESPN+
- International Soccer: ESPN+ has exclusive rights to all Serie A, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Copa del Rey matches in the US. Also includes EFL, Coppa Italia, Copa America, A-League, Dutch Eredivisie, Indian Super League, W-League and more
- Boxing: Dozens of Top Rank fights, which includes Vasyl Lomachenko and Tyson Fury
- College Sports: Hundreds of football and men’s and women’s basketball games (including many Big 12 games), as well as lacrosse, hockey, wrestling, volleyball, softball, baseball, swimming, gymnastics and more
- Tennis: Grand Slam events, including exclusive coverage of every Wimbledon and US Open match not televised on the ESPN or ESPN2
- International cricket: Matches featuring New Zealand, India and others
- International Rugby: Including Guinness PRO14 and Super Rugby matches
- MLB: One daily out-of-market game
- NHL: One daily out-of-market game
- MLS: All out-of-market matches
Other Documentaries & Films
Other ESPN documentaries and films that aren’t included in the actual 30-for-30 series are also available on ESPN+, including Venus vs, The ’99ers and others.
Original Series
The list of ESPN+ originals continues to grow. It includes Peyton’s Places, The Boardroom with Kevin Durant, NBA Rooks, Ariel & The Bad Guy, The Fantasy Show and Alex Morgan: The Equalizer.
UFC On-Demand Library
In addition to live UFC events, ESPN+ also features a vast library of past fights you can watch. This includes classics from Conor McGregor, Anderson Silva, Michael Bisping, Brock Lesnar, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Frank Mir and others. You can find a complete rundown of the ESPN+ UFC library here.
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