Zaya Wade Celebrates 18th With MAC-Sponsored Ball Benefiting LGBTQIA+ Youth
Zaya Wade rang in her 18th birthday in style and with purpose.
The daughter of NBA legend Dwyane Wade hosted an unforgettable celebration titled “The Venus Ascension Ball” last month at NeueHouse Hollywood in Los Angeles.
Sponsored by MAC Cosmetics, H&M, the Utah Jazz, and Flux Health, the event fused fashion, ballroom culture, and community impact. General admission was just $20, with all proceeds benefiting Translatable, Zaya’s nonprofit aimed at uplifting LGBTQIA+ youth and their caregivers.
Among many of the special moments, MAC Cosmetics surprised the young advocate with a $100,000 donation to the Trans Wellness Center in her honor, further amplifying the night’s commitment to trans visibility and health equity.
The evening also doubled as a celebration of Translatable’s one-year anniversary.
According to multiple reports, the event featured all the staples of ballroom brilliance—runway walks, glam-forward fits, and fierce performances—with a total of $15,000 in cash prizes awarded to standout participants. The teen herself made a statement entrance, strutting down the runway with Miss Ebony Lane.
In a joint Instagram post, Zaya’s stepmother Gabrielle Union and Wade penned a sweet message highlighting the birthday girl’s “courage” and “strength.”
“Your transparency should be studied. @zayawade,” they wrote on Instagram. “They say parents are the ones to raise and show their children ‘the way’, but you’ve been the one to show us what true strength, vulnerability, and love really look like. At just 18, you’ve already shown the world what it means to be brave. Your courage lights the way for so many to follow, and we’re right beside you every step of the way.”
Zaya is Wade’s second-youngest child with ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches, with whom the former athlete also shares his oldest son, Zaire Wade.
