A Full Timeline of Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade’s Decades-Long Love Story

Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade definitely aren’t shy about their love for one another, often taking to Instagram—and talk shows and podcasts—to open up about their relationship. The actress and retired NBA basketball player, who met in 2007 and got married in 2014, are like any other couple, having faced their fair share of triumphs and tribulations over the years. Prior to tying the knot, the couple briefly broke up, and Wade had fathered a child with another woman during the split. Ultimately, the two came back together and went on to live happily ever after with their beautiful blended family. Here’s a look at their entire relationship timeline.

February 4, 2007: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade first meet.

Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade met in 2007 at a Super Bowl party they were both tapped to co-host. However, it certainly wasn’t love at first sight—esepcially when you consider the fact that Union was recently divorced and Wade was still with his first wife, with whom he shares two children. Additionally, according to E! News, the Think Like a Man star told Essence that she stayed on the opposite side of the room with her crew. “We like to party, and he doesn't drink at all. He was on the other side of the room holding bible study."

Seven years later, Union got even more candid about her and Wade’s first encounter, revealing to Glamour, “When I met Dwyane, his ‘résumé’ looked like crap: athlete, going through a divorce, nine years younger than me. None of that screamed, 'Let's have a lasting relationship.’" However, after having what she described as a “heart-crushing breakup with yet another immature jerk,” she decided to give him a shot. While Unio was initially spooked by their age gap—she even referred to him as “a fetus” given their nine-year age gap—she revealed that Wade “had wisdom that comes with facing an insane amount of adversity.” Plus, she gushed, “He's sweet, funny, [and] honest about his shortcomings.”

July 17, 2010: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade make their first public appearance together.

Over three years after their first meeting—and several years of dating rumors—Union and Wade made their relationship red carpet official at the 2010 Summer Groove charity bash in Florida, where they posed for photos together. But things weren’t as simple as they seemed. At the time, Wade was in the midst of a complicated divorce from Siohvaughn Funches-Wade (now Funches).

January 24, 2012: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade grace the cover of Essence together.

The power couple posed for the February 2012 cover of Essence together and opened up about their romance. At the time, Wade told the magazine that he and Union were “not rushing it” when it came to tying the knot. “Both of us have been married before, and we understand that if we choose to marry again, we want it to be right. We both took failing at marriage hard. The next time it's gotta be forever,” he said.

January 2013: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade temporarily break up .

At the beginning of 2013, Union and Wade briefly called it quits. In 2014, the former told Glamour that the split was due to “distance and scheduling.” She continued, “I finished filming [Being Mary Jane], then I flew to Vegas right away to start shooting Think Like a Man Too. I couldn't take time off, and I missed some quality togetherness we desperately needed … Moving forward, I decided my work schedule has to make sense for our family."

It was later revealed that, while Union and Wade were temporarily broken up, the latter fathered a son, who was born in November 2013, with Aja Metoyerin. In his ESPN 2020 documentary, D Wade: Life Unexpected, he said that the “hardest thing I’ve ever had to do is man up and tell Gabrielle Union that I’ve had a child with somebody else. I couldn’t sleep. I wasn’t eating.” Union herself opened up about the ordeal in her 2021 memoir, “You Got Anything Stronger?” writing that she felt “broken” over the news, which hit especially hard as she had her own infertility struggles.

Spring 2013: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade reunite.

Around April 2013, Union and Wade decided to get back together—for good, this time! While appearing on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Wade opened up aout the couple’s reunion, despite all that had happened. “At the end of the day, we came back together and said, ‘Listen, we want to continue this. We want to try to continue to get better each day.’ She’s been with me and I’ve been with her all summer long. We’re going strong now.”

December 21, 2013: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade get engaged.

Wade made his proposal to Union a family affair by involving his children into the process. Union gushed about the big moment to Good Morning America: "They were like, 'We wanna do a presentation for you.' They like to do skits and songs and stuff, so we turn around, and they're like, 'Okay, we're ready!' and I turned back around and all the boys were holding up signs that said, 'Will you marry us?' Wade ultimately got down on one knee and asked Union to marry him with a gorgeous 8.5-carat cushion-cut diamond.

February 10, 2014: Gabrielle Union Reveals She and Dwyane Wade got a prenup.

Less than two months after getting engaged, Union appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show and revealed that she asked Wade to sign a prenuptial agreement. “When you have your own stuff, you don't need to worry about anyone else's stuff. So everyone should go into the relationship knowing, 'I'm here for you and you're here for me.' And the reality is I've never seen Dwyane balance a checkbook, so I gotta protect my stuff. It's the wave of the future,” she said.

August 30, 2014: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade get married.

After a short eight-month engagement, Union and Wade tied the knot at Chateau Artisan in Miami, Florida, with his children by their side. The actress previously told Arsenio Hall on his namesake show that her and Wade's wedding would be small: "No bridesmaids, no groomsmen. It's just us and the kids. And we're just riding out, just us.”

October 2017: Gabrielle Union details her infertility struggles.

Just over three years after saying “I do,” Union opened up about her infertility issues, which she had been silently struggling with for years. In her book, We're Going to Need More Wine, Union shared that she had experienced "eight or nine miscarriages” as a result of a uterine condition called adenomyosis. "For three years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant—I've either been about to go into an IVF cycle, in the middle of an IVF cycle, or coming out of an IVF cycle," she wrote.

November 7, 2018: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade welcome their first child.

On November 7, 2018, after years of infertility struggles, Union and Wade welcomed their first and only child together—a daughter named Kaavia James—into the world via surrogate. Both took to Instagram to share the happy news. In December 2018, Union told Oprah Winfrey that she and Wade want their daughter “to understand that she was so loved, wanted, desired, protected, and nurtured when she was just a thought.” Additionally, "We want her to know everything it took to bring her into this world, usually around the time she starts talking back. We want her to really understand what we went through."

February 11, 2020: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade publicly support their daughter, Zaya.

After wade’s daughter, Zaya, came out as transgender, both he and Union supported her both publicly and privately. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Wade shared, “Zaya, our 12-year-old, came home and said, 'Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward, I'm ready to live my truth. And I want to be referenced as she and her. I'd love for you guys to call me Zaya.’” That same month, Wade told PEOPLE, “As I'm raising [Zaya], as I'm raising my kids, you just try to put them in the best situations to be able to succeed in life.” He continued, "How I do that, and how me and my wife decide to do that, may be different than another family, but we want them to know there's always unconditional love, that it will always be support." Wade, meanwhile, took to Twitter (now X) to share the news, writing: "Meet Zaya. She's compassionate, loving, whip-smart and we are so proud of her. It's OK to listen to, love & respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people."

April 29, 2021: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade get candid about their relationship.

Wade and Union opened up about their happy relationship to PEOPLE, with the former saying, “It’s about learning about each other, learning what she wants for her life and for her career and trying to support all those things.” Union also weighed in, explaining to the magazine that "this is both of our second marriages, and we're super transparent about that. We didn't do it right, the first time around. There's another way—to be more collaborative and equitable. We humble ourselves, listen and we meet in the middle."

May 18, 2021: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade release a children's book together.

In May 2021, Union and Wade debuted their children’s book, Shady Baby, to the world. The book is inspired by their daughter, Kaavia James. At the time, in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Union shared that the couple “wanted to create a children's book that not only had a little Black girl as the main character but that also reflects the global community we live in."

September 20, 2022: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade share their relationship pet peeves.

While appearing on the Kelly Clarkson Show together, Union and Wade poked fun at their relationship pet peeves. Wade went first and shared that his wife’s backseat driving can drive him a little nuts, while Union teased her husband about his snoring.

November 11, 2022: Gabrielle Union shares that Dwyane Wade got a romantic tattoo.

In celebration of his wife’s impending 50th birthday, Wade treated himself to fresh ink featuring the outline of a heart next to the actress’ initials. “The moment you find out your man has made you his 17th tattoo. @dframeddanewade made his best bday surprise for #SouthAfrica WadeWorldTour2022 edition #Capetown Part 4," Union wrote in the caption of the Instagram post.

May 15, 2023 and June 12, 2023: Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade open up about their finances.

While appearing on the Black Millionaires podcast in May 2023, Union shared that she and Wade “split everything fifty-fifty.” A month later, Wade echoed these sentiments on the Club Shay Shay podcast, in which he revealed that their set-up was inspired by a conversation the couple had when they were living in Miami. “I said something about it being my house that I paid for. My wife looked at me and said, You will never say that to me again when it’s something that we share.’” He continued, “So when we moved to [Los Angeles], my wife said, ‘I got half on it, you will never say my house again — you can say that in the arena!’”

August 12, 2023: Dwayne Wade makes the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame—and celebrates with Gabrielle Union by his side.

Wade was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in August 2023—and Union was right there with him to ring in the occasion. In his acceptance speech, the retired basketball player thanked his wife for “making our house a home” and “making sure our kids feel seen, heard and protected when I'm not around." The sweet shout-outs didn’t stop there: Wade continued,  "Thank you for being on this journey with me these past 15 years. Thank you for learning to love my imperfections, just as much as we enjoyed and love the moments of perfection. I love you."

August 30, 2024: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.

Union and Wade celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary with family and friends. Both of them gave speeches, and Union even surprised her husband with a rendition of Shania Twain’s 1997 hit, “You’re Still The One.” She also took to Instagram to mark the relationship milestone, writing, “10 years of having a very long, very fun, very loving, never-ending sleepover with my homie, lover, partner, and best friend. Through sickness and health, crisis and celebrations, through bad golf days and flubbed lines and new adventures.. We stand united and we thrive. 10 toes down, 10 years in, forever to go.