The Miami Heat have honored Dwyane Wade with a statue...kind of.
Wade became the first player in franchise history to receive a statue outside the team's arena, but when it was unveiled on Sunday, fans didn't think it looked a whole lot like Wade.
Wade's face is unmistakable around South Florida, having helped the Heat capture three championships en route to becoming the franchise's all-time leading scorer.
The statue's face, however, is not quite as recognizable.
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The bronze statue stands outside the Kaseya Arena's main entrance, with Wade making his "This is my house!" finger-pointing pose while wearing his Heat uniform. It also includes a wall listing the Basketball Hall of Famer's career accomplishments.
The focus on social media, however, was mostly on the statue's lack of resemblance to Wade...
Miami Heat did Dwyane Wade dirty pic.twitter.com/ZRIPoNhxFA
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod ๐ธ๐ด (@big_business_) October 27, 2024
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— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) October 27, 2024
Dwyane Wade's statue is giving off the same energy as Ronaldo's bust ๐ pic.twitter.com/BgS027EsFA
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) October 28, 2024
The Miami Heat shouldโve had a contest where they showed this picture to 1,000 fans โ and anyone who guesses itโs Dwyane Wade gets to keep the statue. pic.twitter.com/sqG6pFaOUz
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) October 27, 2024
Why canโt we get statues of peopleโฆthat look like the people theyโre supposed to represent. Nobody sees Dwyane Wade here. pic.twitter.com/AMc36O7hVU
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) October 27, 2024
The Dwyane Wade statue will haunt me until my dying day. pic.twitter.com/8FiVMFK616
— Mark Strotman (@markstrot) October 27, 2024
MIAMI HEAT: Is the statue ready?
— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) October 27, 2024
SCULPTOR: Yep, Kelsey Grammer.
MIAMI HEAT: Uh, no? Dwyane Wade.
SCULPTOR:
MIAMI HEAT: Hello?
SCULPTOR: Gimme a few minutes. https://t.co/rVhIQFFItH
Why did they make Dwyane Wade look like the villain from The Mask? pic.twitter.com/GxMtLBzNyy
— Kristie (@nairnsy27) October 27, 2024
Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union had a beautiful wedding pic.twitter.com/y4cE2nrwif
— Shawn (@PalmerDesigns_) October 27, 2024
They got Dwyane Wade looking like that one Mortal Kombat level. pic.twitter.com/EJDKoJToz1
— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) October 27, 2024
This counts as Dwyane Wade not getting his statue. https://t.co/9qGQOrjmaE
— Jon โStugotzโ Weiner (@stugotz790) October 27, 2024