​Zaire Wade, the eldest son of basketball legend Dwyane Wade, has been hit with a felony charge more than two weeks after his arrest in California following a reported domestic disturbance. According to People, Los Angeles County prosecutors on July 9 filed a single felony count alleging that Wade “willfully inflicted corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition” on a woman with whom he was in a romantic relationship. The woman’s identity has not been released.
Wade is slated to be arraigned on July 16 in Pasadena. People notes that the outlet sought comment from a spokesperson for Zaire Wade and the Wade family regarding the felony accusation.
Although Wade was initially arrested on suspicion of multiple offenses, prosecutors ultimately charged him with one felony count connected to the June incident. TMZ initially reported that Wade was booked on suspicion of felony domestic violence, criminal threats, and false imprisonment after his arrest in Burbank. Those preliminary booking details are separate from the single felony count that prosecutors later filed.
It’s important to note that a charge is only an allegation, and Wade has not been convicted of a crime.
The case originated from a June 21 police response in Burbank. People reports that officers were dispatched to a residence around 5:30 a.m. after reports of a woman screaming. NBC Los Angeles, citing law enforcement sources, stated that officers found Wade and a woman with facial and bodily lacerations. Paramedics evaluated the woman at the scene, though she was not transported to a hospital. TMZ says police call logs described yelling and stomping inside the home before officers arrived.
People further reported that Wade was arrested and booked in Los Angeles on June 21, with bond set at $50,000; he posted bond and was released the same day. Authorities also secured an emergency protective order for the woman after the arrest. NBC Los Angeles added that a handgun was removed from the home following the arrest, though no separate weapon charge had been publicized by prosecutors at that time.
Zaire Wade followed in his Hall of Fame father’s footsteps into basketball. He attended Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles and later spent time in the G League and with overseas teams. Most recently, Wade played for the Cape Town Tigers in the Basketball Africa League. Dwyane Wade, who shares Zaire with his former wife, Siohvaughn Funches, has not publicly commented on the felony filing. Zaire Wade is scheduled to be arraigned on July 16 in Pasadena.