Heat honor Dwyane Wade with statue. Some say it doesn't look like him
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The new Dwyane Wade statue outside the Kaseya Center. Photo: Miami Heat/David Alvarez
Heat legend Dwyane Wade was honored Sunday with his own statue outside the Kaseya Center — but some fans are complaining that it doesn't actually resemble the Hall of Famer.
Why it matters: Wade is considered the best player in Heat history and one of the best shooting guards the NBA has ever seen.
- This is the first statue the Heat has built for one of its players.
Details: The eight-foot statue commemorates one of Wade's most iconic moments — a 2009 game-winning shot he celebrated by leaping onto the scorer's table at the Heat arena and declaring, "This is my house!"
- The Miami Herald reports that the statue was created by sculptors Omri Amrany and Oscar León of Rotblatt Amrany Studio, which has also created the "Michael Jordan Spirit" statue in Chicago and Kobe Bryant's "Black Mamba" statue in Los Angeles.
What they're saying: After a statue unveiling ceremony Sunday, Wade told reporters "I think it's one of the best statues that's been created because of what it represents for us and for me," per the Herald.
Yes, but: Fans and the Miami press corps roasted the statue — specifically its face — for failing to capture Wade's likeness.
- "This counts as Dwyane Wade not getting his statue," radio personality Jon "Stugotz" Weiner, of the Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz, wrote on X.
- "The Miami Heat should've had a contest where they showed this picture to 1,000 fans — and anyone who guesses it's Dwyane Wade gets to keep the statue," quipped Jeff Darlington, a South Florida-based ESPN NFL reporter, on X.
Context: Local 10 sports director and Heat announcer Will Manso said the statue looks better up close than in pictures.
- "I think the jawline is stronger so it really changes the face when you're not looking up at it too much,
Ahead of the statue unveiling, work crews officially co-named Northeast Seventh Avenue in front of the arena "Dwyane Wade Boulevard" — a move that Miami-Dade County approved in 2021.
- It's perfectly fitting for a county that fans nicknamed "Miami Wade County" during the peak of his stardom. (The County Commission even renamed the municipality Miami-Wade County for a few days in 2010)
What they're saying: "I didn't pick up a basketball for this. I picked up a basketball to change my family's life," Wade said during an unveiling ceremony, per the Herald. "I could not have written this script any better."
What's next: Check out the statue for yourself and enjoy a special Wade-themed night at Kaseya Center as the Heat take on the Pistons at 7:30pm Monday. (Tickets start at $25)