When athletes, entertainers and historical figures are honored with statues, it rarely goes well. Artists just can’t seem to capture these larger than life personalities and legacies properly. The latest star to be recognized with their own statue is former Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade.
On Saturday (Oct. 26), the Heat recognized D-Wade with a statue outside Kaseya Center in Miami, per the Miami Herald. The 8-foot bronze piece portrays the 13-time All-Star’s famous “this is my house” moment from the team’s March 2009 double overtime win over the Chicago Bulls.
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Wade reportedly worked with the artist’s on the piece’s creation. It was done by the same sculptors who did the statues honoring the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna outside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. During the ceremony, D-Wade told the crowd, “This is nothing I ever thought I’d experience. I didn’t play for this. I didn’t pick up the basketball for this. I picked up a basketball to change my family’s life.”
Unfortunately for the Olympic gold medalist, social media isn’t as excited about the statue as he is. It received hilarious criticism, with several people questioning if the Heat were pranking their legend, or if the sculptors actually knew who Wade was.
One fan acknowledged the honor, but not the effort, writing on X, “This is a nice gesture but horrible execution. Dwyane deserves a better statue.”
Another person seems to think it fits in with spooky season, posting, “Imaging seeing that outside your house in the middle of the night.”
Someone else thinks the statute belongs in a classic video game, writing, “They got Dwyane Wade looking like that one Mortal Kombat level.”
Another fan thinks the Heat got a discount on this statute, writing on X, “Shame on whoever greenlit this—it doesn’t even look like Dwyane Wade. Y’all could’ve done better. This looks like a statue straight off Temu.”
Over on Instagram, things didn’t fare much better. The comments under the Heat’s short video of the unveiling were brutal.
Meanwhile, one person cut straight to the point, replying on Instagram, “Nah, remake the statue. This ain’t right.”
The main point of contention seems to be the face, with someone replying, “Bro fix the face PLEASE how do they get the other details right and mess up the face this hard.”
Miami sports reporter Will Manso had a different opinion, pointing out that the statute comes off better in person, writing on X, “For what it’s worth, finally getting up close to the Dwyane Wade statue and have to say it looks much better 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.”
At the end of the day, the only person whose opinion really matters is D-Wade. If he likes the statute, we guess it’s good enough. Of course, the NBA Hall of Famer is so loyal to his former team, he would never publicly disparage this honor, so we may never know what he truly thinks of it.
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