Dwyane Wade reveals 2023 kidney surgery to remove tumor later found to be cancerous

Hall of Fame player Dwyane Wade said doctors performed a December 2023 surgery on his kidney to remove a tumor later determined to be cancerous.

“Thank God that I did do the surgery,” Wade said on his “The Why With Dwyane Wade” podcast episode released Thursday.

Wade said he had not had regular physical exams in a few years before seeing a doctor due to stomach and urinary issues. Wade said he difficulty passing urine and his flow was weak.

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"Why is my piss coming out slow?," he remembered asking himself. "Why is my stream ain't powerful? Why is it a little weak?"

The scan then revealed that there was a tumor on one of his kidneys. "I didn't go in for my kidneys," he shared. "But because I did the full-body scan, they saw something."

The “cyst/tumor” led to the surgery, which Wade said removed 40 percent of his right kidney.

“I think it was the first time my family — my dad, my kids — they saw me weak,” he said. “That moment was probably the weakest point I’ve ever felt in my life. The moments I was by myself, I was struggling, dog. Struggling.

"And one thing you never want to do as a man, you never want your family to see you as weak.

"You don’t want to be perceived weak and you don’t want to be seen in your weak moments. But I had to.”

Wade retired in 2019 after 16 years in the NBA, highlighted by 15 seasons with the Miami Heat that included winning three world championships and being a 13-time all-star. He also led Marquette to the 2003 Final Four.