Sports | Dwyane Wade Checkup May Have Saved Dwyane Wade's Life Doctors detected kidney tumor that turned out to be cancerous, former NBA star says By Rob Quinn Posted Jan 31, 2025 8:23 AM CST Copied Former Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade is interviewed during a ceremony at halftime during an NBA game between the Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Dwyane Wade says he stopped getting physicals after he retired from the NBA in 2019, but his father's struggle with prostate cancer motivated him to get a checkup that may have saved his life. On his podcast "The Why With Dwyane Wade," the 43-year-old revealed that a full-body scan detected a tumor on his kidney, NBC News reports. He said he had been putting off getting a checkup for years despite issues including cramps and urine flow that was "a little weak," People reports. He said surgeons removed 40% of his right kidney in December 2023. "Thank God that I did do the surgery, right?" Wade said. "Because the tumor was cancerous." "My own journey to have that surgery, I think it was the first time that my family, my dad, my kids, they saw me weak," Wade said, per CBS Sports. "That moment was probably the weakest point I've ever felt in my life." He said he had support from former Miami Heat teammate Alonzo Mourning, who had a kidney transplant in 2003. "I saw everybody show up for me and be there for me and in that process. In my weakness, I found strength in my family, in my friends, in my group." Wade said. Read These Next James Carville has a new 4-word political mantra. "Theo" from The Cosby Show has died at age 54. More big names lend support to Stephen Colbert. Eleven arrested following viral video of honor killing. Report an error