Zaire Wade, the 24-year-old son of three-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, was arrested on three felony counts in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 21, in Burbank, California. As of Friday, June 26, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office had not formally filed charges, and no court date had been set.
The Burbank Police Department confirmed that Wade was booked on suspicion of domestic violence, criminal threats and false imprisonment. He posted $50,000 bond and was released the same day. An emergency protective order was issued for the alleged victim, who has not been publicly identified. Neither Zaire nor his representatives had issued any public statement as of Friday.
How the Burbank arrest unfolded
Officers responded to the residence at approximately 5:30 a.m. after a 911 caller reported hearing a woman screaming. When police arrived, they found Zaire Wade inside the home along with a woman who had lacerations on her face and body. Paramedics assessed the woman at the scene, but she was not transported to a hospital. A handgun was recovered from the home. Whether the firearm belonged to Wade had not been publicly confirmed by authorities as of Friday.
The Burbank Police Department said detectives would be presenting the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration. Earlier reports suggesting Wade might face an attempted murder charge were later debunked by the department, which confirmed the three counts were the only allegations being forwarded to prosecutors.
Dwyane Wade, who retired from professional basketball in 2019, had not publicly commented on his son’s arrest as of Friday.
Zaire Wade’s basketball career
Zaire Blessing Dwyane Wade was born Feb. 4, 2002, in Chicago. He played his senior year of high school at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California, and bypassed college to pursue professional basketball directly.
In 2021, he was selected 10th overall in the NBA G League Draft by the Salt Lake City Stars, the Utah Jazz affiliate. His first professional season ended after 12 games due to injury, during which he averaged 1.8 points per game. He signed with the Cape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa League in February 2023 and posted a career-high 17 points in May of that year. He later played for the Macau Black Bears and is currently a free agent.
Dwyane Wade’s career and legacy
Dwyane Wade was selected fifth overall by the Miami Heat in the 2003 NBA Draft out of Marquette University, where he had led the Golden Eagles to the Final Four that spring. Over 16 seasons, the vast majority with Miami, Dwayne won three championships in 2006, 2012 and 2013, earned Finals MVP honors in 2006, won the scoring title in 2008-09 with a 30.2 points per game average and was named to 13 All-Star teams. The Heat retired his No. 3 jersey in 2020.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Wade in 2023 as an individual and again in 2025 as a member of the gold medal-winning 2008 United States Olympic team. Since retiring, he has taken minority ownership stakes in the Utah Jazz and the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.
Zaire Wade is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The case remains a developing legal matter.
