He is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, a Miami Heat icon and a player who led the club to three titles in the elite competition.
Photo: DA Varela / Zuma Press / Profimedia
Dwayne Wade statue in front of Miami Stadium.
Dwayne Wade made an indelible mark in basketball history, and now the sculptor who created his life-size likeness has succeeded.
Wade is to Miami what, say, Michael Jordan is to Chicago. He joined the Heat club in the 2003 draft, when he was selected as the fifth basketball player in the order behind LeBron James, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. Because of all this, a statue of him was unveiled in front of the hall in Miami.
But the question is whether he got the right statue. Does he really look like him? It’s hard to tell, although judging by the reactions of fans on social media, it’s a definite no. And it’s hard to disagree with them, as the appearance of the statue bears little resemblance to the legendary basketball player.
“This is not something I expected, I didn’t play basketball for this moment, but to change my family’s life. I know many people have the same dream every day,” Wade was quoted as saying by overseas media. The former NBA star appeared to be quite surprised to see how the statue looked during the ceremony.
Photos and video of the ceremony quickly began to spread on social networks, and comments about the failed statue went viral.
“I don’t know who this is but it’s not Wade”, “God who is this man?”, “This looks like everyone but Dwayne Wade”, “Can someone make a new statue?”. These were just some of the many comments on X’s social network.
Wade also became the first player in the history of the club with his own statue in front of the arena. The celebratory moment came about eight months after Miami president Pat Riley announced plans to honor the 42-year-old Wade’s achievements.
Wade and Udonis Haslem are the only two players who have been part of all three NBA championships for the Heat – 2006, 2012, 2013. Wade is the all-time leading scorer and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame since 2023.
“He is the best player in Miami Heat history. This is his day. A day that belongs to him and his family,” Riley said. The statue is located in front of the main entrance to the Kaseya Center, the Heat’s home arena.
“It’s something incredible. Looking at that statue made me realize how fast life goes by. It’s a huge honor, I really appreciate it,” said Wade, who became one of the owners of the Utah Jazz basketball club after his playing career ended.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
