If not for the Miami No. 3 jersey, it might be difficult to recognize that a new statue outside the Kaseya Center is none other than basketball superstar Dwyane Wade.
The bronze statue was unveiled Sunday in honor of the former Miami Heat player, who made his professional basketball debut with the team 21 years ago this October. Placed near the front doors of the arena, it’s accompanied by a wall highlighting Wade's achievements, from being a Basketball Hall of Famer to a 13-time All Star.
The statue, designed by Timeless Creations' Omri Amrany and Oscar León, was meant to capture Wade in mid-celebration, reenacting his iconic "This is my house" gesture after he hit a winning 3-pointer against the Chicago Bulls in 2009.
At a press conference on Sunday, Wade said it was his idea to pay homage to the 2009 game, describing it as the biggest moment of his career. He applauded the artists for working with him to get every detail right, including the fact that he was chewing gum.
"I want to make sure that every fan, when they see it, you know, they remember my career and I think that sums up my career," he said. "People are going to be driving and they're going to look up and I'm going to be like, 'This is my house.' I was like, 'That's gonna be pretty cool from the street.'"
Wade later called the statue "beautiful" and "it's one of the best statues that's been created" — though he acknowledged he had some bias. Fans, on the other hand, were less thrilled. Many said online that they were confused and disappointed at the long-awaited unveiling.
"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," ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington joked on X.
"This is a joke right? Because literally not one feature — nose, lips, eyes — looks anything like Dwayne Wade," another X user wrote.
Others on social media said the statue did resemble a famous person — just not Wade — but rather, former professional boxer George Foreman and Matrix actor Laurence Fishburne.
Will Manso, the sports director of WPLG Local 10 News, said the statue looked better up close and in person. "In the end Dwyane is happy and that’s all that matters. He had four trips with the sculptors to get the right pose and look. He said it’s beautiful," Manso wrote on X.
This is not the first time that fans have been unimpressed by an immortalized artwork of their favorite celebrity. In 2017, a bronze bust of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo bewildered fans for failing to capture his chiseled features. Earlier this year, a statue of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant faced criticism not only for its lack of resemblance but also for spelling errors on its marble base.
There was another notable outcry after a statue of Lucille Ball was unveiled in her hometown of Celoron, New York, in 2009, dubbed "Scary Lucy" by locals. After a viral social media campaign, the statue was replaced with a new one by another artist in 2016.
And just last month, people in the United Kingdom were underwhelmed by a new sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II, unveiled last month in Northern Ireland. The statue depicted Elizabeth in a skirt, rubber boots and a headscarf — sparking the joke that it looked more like Mrs. Doubtfire than the late queen.
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