Dwyane Wade is, without a doubt, one of the best shooting guards in NBA history.
An iconic player for the Miami Heat, Wade helped lead the organization to three NBA championships in 2006, 2012, and 2013, and was named NBA Finals MVP in 2006.
Wade is also a 13-time NBA All-Star and led the NBA in scoring in 2009 when he averaged 30.2 points per game.
Needless to say, Wade is an integral part of the Heat’s history. It’s no surprise that they retired his number on Feb. 22, 2020, and had a statue unveiled in his honor in front of the Kaseya Center.
Wade’s statue was officially unveiled today, and fan reactions to his recreation have been extreme.
The statue captures Wade’s iconic “This is my house” moment. However, fans feel like the sculptors missed the mark entirely.
“Nailed the pose. Idk who that is tho,” said one fan.
“The statue is the Temu version of Wade,” said another.
Another fan noted that the Heat had given Wade “the Cristiano Ronaldo treatment.”
Wade’s statue has also garnered comparisons to Laurence Fishburne, Kelsey Grammer, and the villain from ‘The Mask’ starring Jim Carrey.
Still, there was one person who was happy with the way the statue turned out: Dwyane Wade.
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The statue was created by sculptors Oscar León and Omru Amrany, who had also created the “Michael Jordan Spirit” in Chicago, the Kobe Bryant “Black Mamba” statue, and the recently unveiled “Kobe and Gianna Bryant Memorial Statue,” both in Los Angeles.
“He walked away very happy,” León said, per Alex Miranda and Kevin Boulandier of 7 News Miami. “By that last visit, he had basically seen everything he wanted to see. We made all the adjustments he wanted.”
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“It was so cool to be part of the process, to be able to go in and change things around,” Wade said. “I’m very vain, and so, if my eyebrow was off a little bit, I was letting them know.”
Wade continued this optimism into the actual unveiling, saying, “This is out of body, y’all.”
If there’s anyone who deserves from the Heat franchise, it’s Wade. He played for Miami from 2003-2016, and again from 2018-2019, his final season.
In that time, Wade became the Heat’s all-time leader in points, assists, and steals. Across his entire career, he averaged 22 points, 5.4 assists, 4.7 combined rebounds, and 1.5 steals.
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