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  4. Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade have been together for over 10 years — here's a complete timeline of their relationship

Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade have been together for over 10 years here's a complete timeline of their relationship

Marilyn La Jeunesse   

Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade have been together for over 10 years — here's a complete timeline of their relationship
Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union have been together for years.Kevin Winter/Getty Images
  • Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade first met in 2007 and began dating in 2009.
  • The pair got married in 2014 and welcomed a baby girl via surrogate in 2018.

February 2007: The couple met for the first time.

February 2007: The couple met for the first time.
Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union met at an event.      Frederick M. Brown/Getty

Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade first met while cohosting a sponsored Super Bowl party. At the time, Wade was still married to Siohvaughn Funches.

Just a year earlier in 2006, Union and her then-husband Chris Howard got divorced after being married for five years.

Wade would file for divorce from Funches later that year.

July 2009: Union and Wade were spotted together for the first time.

July 2009: Union and Wade were spotted together for the first time.
Gabrielle Union was his guest.      Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

While cohosting a charity dinner, The Summer Groove, Wade brought Union as his guest to the event. The rumors that the two were dating began to swirl.

May 2010: Funches sued Union.

May 2010: Funches sued Union.
Siohvaughn Funches and Dwayne Wade were also going through a legal battle.      Tasos Katopodis/Getty

Although Wade and Funches had been separated since 2007, their divorce was still ongoing in 2010.

In May, after Wade filed for sole custody of his two children, Funches filed a lawsuit against Union for "emotional distress." The case would later be dismissed by the courts.

July 2010: The couple made their red-carpet debut.

July 2010: The couple made their red-carpet debut.
Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union five years later at a gala.      Larry Busacca/Getty

After years of dating rumors, Union and Wade made their red-carpet debut at the Summer Groove Charity event. The couple's appearance together came one month after Wade's divorce was finalized.

March 2011: Wade was granted sole custody of his two kids from his previous marriage.

March 2011: Wade was granted sole custody of his two kids from his previous marriage.
The Wade family a few years later at the Union-Wade wedding.      Instagram/gabunion

He had filed for custody over a year prior. After a long legal battle, Wade was awarded sole custody of Zaire and Zaya, his two children with Funches. At this time, he also has custody of his nephew.

January 2012: Union and Wade starred on the cover of Essence's February issue.

January 2012: Union and Wade starred on the cover of Essence
Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union opened up about their relationship.      Jason Carter Rinaldi/Stringer/Getty Images

Speaking in a joint interview for Essence's February 2012 edition, the couple opened up about their romance and whether or not they plan on getting married.

"We're not rushing it. 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," Wade said, according to HuffPost.

January - April 2013: The couple took some time apart.

January - April 2013: The couple took some time apart.
Their break didn't last long.      Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Union and Wade temporarily went their separate ways in early 2013.

Later, Union told Glamour they split "because of distance and scheduling."

"I finished filming ["Being Mary Jane"], then I flew to Vegas right away to start shooting "Think Like a Man Too," she told Glamour. "I couldn't take time off, and I missed some quality togetherness we desperately needed."

During this split, Wade fathered a child with another woman.

"It should go without saying that we were not in a good place at the time that child was conceived," Union wrote in a 2021 essay for Time. "But we were doing much better when he finally told me about the pregnancy. To say I was devastated is to pick a word on a low shelf for convenience."

A few months later in April, the couple was spotted together at a Miami Heat event.

December 2013: Wade and Union got engaged.

December 2013: Wade and Union got engaged.
Gabrielle Union announced it on Instagram.      Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Wade proposed to Union, who happily announced the couple's engagement on Instagram. The ring reportedly cost $1 million.

"Sooooo this happened... #Yessss," she commented with a string of dancing emojis, clapping emojis and heart-eyed emojis.

August 2014: They tied the knot and went on an epic honeymoon.

August 2014: They tied the knot and went on an epic honeymoon.
Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade at the 2022 Met Gala.      Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

The celebrity couple tied the knot on August 30, 2014. Some family members were included in the wedding party, per shared photos.

After the wedding, they embarked on a honeymoon in the Maldives.

August 2018: The couple celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary.

August 2018: The couple celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary.
Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade at an event.      Rich Fury/Getty

Union shared a sweet wedding moment on Instagram.

"Waking up every morning next to my best friend is a blessing I could've never imagined," she wrote.

November 2018: The couple welcomed the latest addition to their family.

November 2018: The couple welcomed the latest addition to their family.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade in 2022.      Chris Pizzello/AP Images

According to Union's tweet, their baby girl arrived via surrogate on November 7.

May 18, 2021: The couple released a children's book together

May 18, 2021: The couple released a children
Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union at the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.      Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The book, "Shady Baby," is inspired by their daughter.

"This is our first children's book we did together and we're so excited for the world to read Shady Baby," the pair told People in an exclusive joint statement at the time. "Inspired by our daughter, Kaavia James, we 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."

November 2022: Wade got a tattoo for Union.

November 2022: Wade got a tattoo for Union.
Dwayne Wade has a tattoo to celebrate his wife.      Getty Images for Time Magazine

On November 11, Union shared a video of herself reacting to Wade's new tattoo, which he surprised her with for her 50th birthday during a family vacation to Cape Town, South Africa.

Wade's tattoo is on his wrist and shows a heart outline next to her initials "GU."

"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 post's caption, which was sprinkled with heart emojis.

February 2023: The pair accepted an award and gave a speech at the 54th NAACP Image Awards.

February 2023: The pair accepted an award and gave a speech at the 54th NAACP Image Awards.
Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade at the NAACP Image Awards in 2023.      Amy Sussman/Getty Images

At the event, the couple was presented with the President's Award to honor their philanthropic work and support of the LGBTQ community.

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson told Variety that the couple was chosen for how they supported their daughter Zaya Wade, who came out as transgender in 2020.

During the speech, Union called for support of Black trans people.

"This is a conversation worth having in ways that can actually build bridges. That don't fan the flames of hatred or division," she said during the speech, per Variety. "That don't enable lawmakers or justice systems to look the other way when Black trans people are under attack. That don't drive more young people to hate themselves or harm themselves. That don't cost people their lives."

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