NBA fans are in stitches over the Miami Heat’s new statue of Dwyane Wade, claiming it looks nothing like the former point guard.
The bronze statue of Wade was unveiled at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on Sunday, October 27. The statue was meant to replicate Wade as he’s cheering and pointing down towards the floor. The figure also wears Wade’s iconic red and black Heat jersey, with the number 3 on it.
The statue stands next to the entrance of the sports center, in front of a wall that lists all of Wade’s achievements throughout his NBA career.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) were quick to mock the statue, likening it to various other famous faces.
“Why did they make Dwyane Wade look like the villain from The Mask?” one person asked.
“I’m sorry, but that monstrosity looks absolutely NOTHING like Dwyane Wade. Geez!” wrote another.
Why did they make Dwyane Wade look like the villain from The Mask? pic.twitter.com/GxMtLBzNyy
— Kristie (@nairnsy27) October 27, 2024
“Man who the hell is this??? The Miami Heat did Dwyane Wade filthy with this statue lmao,” a third agreed, while a fourth joked: “That’s Wayne Dade.”
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. pic.twitter.com/sqG6pFaOUz
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) October 27, 2024
Another person tweeted sarcastically: “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.”
Following the unveiling of the statue, Wade took the opportunity to express how much this moment meant to him.
“This is crazy,” he said during his speech. “I wanted to feel this. Life goes by so fast and it’s very rare that we get to feel things, because we’re always off to the next thing. So, I didn’t prepare much because I wanted to feel this, man. I wanted to look at it.”
He then turned towards his statue and said to the crowd: “That’s crazy. I mean, who is this guy?”
Later in the speech, he reflected on his career and acknowledged how his family shaped it. Wade is the father of four children, sharing two, Zaire, 22, and Zaya, 17 with ex-wife, Siovaughn Funches, and a 10-year-old son, Xavier, with Aja Metoyer. He and his current wife, actor Gabrielle Union also share a five-year-old daughter, Kaavia, while the athlete is the legal guardian of his 21-year-old nephew, Dahveon.
“My dad put the basketball in my hand, and I kept going because I wanted to change my family’s lives,” he said during the speech. “And I know there’s so many of you out here that are having that same dream, daily… I want to make my mom and my dad proud. I want to make my kids proud. I want to one day make my wife proud.”
Wade played for the Miami Heat for 16 years and won three NBA championships throughout his career. He’s also the team’s all-time leading scorer and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
