Russell Wilson has looked like the quintessential example of a great father since his marriage to pop singer Ciara in July 2016. Why? She already came with a bundle of joy in 9-year-old Future Zahir Wilburn (real name), the son she shares with her ex, Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, aka the rapper Future.
From the outset, before the couple had their three children, Sienna Princess (6), Win Harrison (3), and the most recent edition, Amora Princess, born in December 2023, Wilson has been an outstanding stepfather to Future Zahir. Now, that love is circling back negatively for something Wilson didn’t even do.
NBA Instagram Starts Twitter Beef
During the NBA All-Star break, the NBA Instagram account put up a story showing Wilson and young Future wearing matching Kobe Bryant All-Star jerseys with the captions:
“Russell Wilson and his son rockin’ Kobe All-Star jerseys” and “Those throwback jerseys are tough,” with a flame emoji. However, another Atlanta rapper, Young Scooter, quickly jumped in and corrected a crucial piece of the narrative with one comment: “That’s not his son.”
In the following post, the NBA corrected itself by calling him Russell Wilson’s stepson.
Scooter is an artist under Future’s Freebandz record company and is close to the superstar trap rapper. They are so close, in fact, that for Scooter’s 36th birthday, Future Sr. gifted his protégé with $200,000 in cash to blow lavishly in a high-end retail store. Guess, Future means it when the chorus of one of his hit songs proclaims that he “f**k up some commas.”
Additionally, there is a video of young Future on the NBA All-Star game hardwood receiving a shooting lesson from Steph Curry himself. Wilson’s caption caught some off guard as well:
“Best Shooting Coach in the world. Believe It! Believe It! @stephencurry30 Grateful! #ProudDad”
This led to some social media users leaning in and giving Wilson his proper respect for providing an opportunity for young Future to have a teachable basketball moment from a currently active transcendent basketball star.
Russell Wilson Treats Young Future Like Birth Son
Since Young Future has been treated like a birth son by Russell Wilson, many commented that he has treated the young boy better than his rapping father has, and, semantics aside, Russell Wilson has the right to call himself Young Future’s “dad,” minus the “step.”
Then others wanted to ensure accuracy as Future’s role as the birth father cannot be trumped by the perks that come to children who live with the famous athlete.
Future and Ciara have been transparent and toxic when discussing their co-parenting relationship. During an interview with The Shade Room, when the singer was asked, “What is co-parenting like for you guys?” Ciara’s 15-second laughing response, which feels like an hour in social media attention, answered the question.
Future has also been vocal with tweets about his issues with child support, claiming to pay $15,000 monthly.
“This b***h got control problems…” Future said in a since-deleted tweet in 2016. “I gotta go through lawyers to see babyfuture…the f–kery for 15k a month. I jus want babyfuture that’s all,” Future tweeted in January 2016.
Ciara denied the $15k claim.
Ciara and Future Have Co-Parenting Issues
In February 2016, Ciara filed a $15 million lawsuit against the rapper, and by May 2016, a judge denied Ciara’s request for full custody, awarding Future joint custody of their son. The legal battles continued, with Ciara filing a $500K defamation suit based on Future’s posts about the situation, which she claims cost her a lucrative deal.
Last July, Future’s verse on Quavo’s “Turn Yo Clic Up,” left no doubt on where he stands regarding Russell Wilson:
“Big dawg status, bill hopper/ I ball in his mall for my brothers/ Goyard bag, tote the Corduroy/ I got it out the field, f**k Russell.”
The reality is that parents disagree, and children are spared the realities of adults. If rapper Future takes care of his child and provides love and attention to the best of his ability, that is what the job requires. Russell Wilson’s relationship with the child and the closeness the two are experiencing are also beautiful things.
The NBA made a mistake with the mislabeling, and Wilson’s view of the relationship is that he is a #ProudDad, and it shows. Future Zahir is the winner because he has three famous parents who all seem to care for his well-being and give him the best life possible.
The way the world decides to interpret it is irrelevant.
