Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade: A Complete Relationship Timeline

He was a professional NBA player, she was a fictional cheerleader; what more can I say? Former Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade and  Bring It On star Gabrielle Union have one of the most likable marriages in Hollywood, but their path to the altar—and beyond—hasn’t been totally smooth. Through ups and downs, they’ve stuck it out, and are proof that communication works. Here’s a complete timeline of the power couple’s relationship:

February 4: The pair meet at a Super Bowl party. At the time Wade was playing through injury for the Heat and married to his high school sweetheart, Siohvaughn Funches, though they would split later that year. The pair share two kids, Zaire and Zaya. Union, meanwhile, was newly divorced from NFL player Chris Howard. 

Years later Union would recall her first impressions of Wade to Glamour, revealing, “When I met Dwyane, his ‘résumé’ looked like crap: athlete, going through a divorce, nine years younger than me. None of that screamed, ‘Let’s have a lasting relationship.’ Then, after I had a heart-crushing breakup with yet another immature jerk, I thought, It can’t be any worse if I date a fetus. Let’s just see what happens. Turned out he’d been on his own since he was 15. He had wisdom that comes with facing an insane amount of adversity. He’s sweet, funny, honest about his shortcomings. When I put my preconceived notions to the side, I found someone cool.”

July: The pair are spotted together for the first time when Wade brings Union as his guest to a charity event, but there’s nothing official. Still, rumors swirl.

July: At the same event a year later, the pair pose together on the red carpet, and everyone knows it’s on.

Two days later Union is spotted at the All-Star Games.

That same year Funches sues Gabrielle Union for “emotional distress” but the case is quickly dismissed.

Wade is granted sole custody of his kids, and is also raising his nephew. 

January: As a couple, they appear on the cover of Essence magazine say they’re in no hurry to head down the aisle. Says Wade, “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.”

January: The two decide to take a break. Union tells Glamour, “It was because of distance and scheduling. I finished filming the show, then I flew to Vegas right away to start shooting Think Like a Man Too. I couldn’t take time off, and I missed some quality togetherness we desperately needed. Over the summer, I reassessed priorities. I’d always wanted an awesome career with back-to-back projects, but I realized I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my relationship for it. Moving forward, I decided my work schedule has to make sense for our family.”

During the separation, Wade has a relationship with Aja Metoyer and fathers a child with her, a son named Xavier. Reflecting on this later, Union wrote in an essay, “It should go without saying that we were not in a good place at the time that child was conceived. 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.” But, she continued, “Each day, he had worked to be forgiven, and I had chosen to do so. And part of this journey of making peace with our love is also making peace with ourselves.”

April: Dwyane and Gabrielle get back together.

December: They’re engaged.

August: Wade and Union, well, start their union! An epic wedding in Florida is followed by an epic honeymoon.

Both on their second marriages, the pair make the savvy decision to sign prenups and will continue to share expenses throughout their marriage.

November: The couple welcome their daughter Kaavia James, delivered via surrogate.

Union, who has been open about her fertility struggles and multiple miscarriages, writes bracingly of the aftermath of choosing surrogacy, the pain of not knowing what might have been: “Yet the question lingers in my mind: I will always wonder if Kaav would love me more if I had carried her. Would our bond be even tighter? I will never know what it would have been like to carry this rockstar inside me. When they say having a child is like having your heart outside your body, that’s all I know. We met as strangers, the sound of my voice and my heartbeat foreign to her. It’s a pain that has dimmed but remains present in my fears that I was not, and never will be, enough.”

February: At age 12, Wade’s daughter, Zaya, comes out to her family, and then the public, as a trans girl. The pair support her and continue to advocate for trans equality to this day.

May: Their next collab is a kids book, based on Kaavia, called Shady Baby.

November: As a 50th birthday present for his wife, Wade gets a tattoo of a heart and Union’s initials.

Cutest.

This post will be updated.