It was a day that Dwyane Wade won’t soon forget as a statue of him was unveiled outside Kaseya Center in Miami.
Just one problem, the statue did not look remotely close to the three-time NBA champion and the internet was quick to jump on the hilarity of the situation.
Photos of the statue made their rounds on social media with users turning it into a meme.
Dwyane Wade’s status as a Miami Heat legend was further cemented on Sunday as the franchise unveiled an eight-foot statue of the three-time NBA champion.
Wade is the first player in Heat history to be immortalized with a statue outside of the team’s Kaseya Center, with the bronze sculpture honoring his iconic ‘This is my house’ celebration from the double-overtime win against the Chicago Bulls in 2009.
The 42-year-old played 16 season in the NBA and was selected as an All-Star 13 times before retiring in 2019. Wade ranks No. 1 in Heat history for points, assists and games played, and is one of just two players to have been on all three of the franchise’s title-winning teams.
Wade’s remarkable career also earned him a place in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
“That’s crazy. I can’t believe that. Who is that guy?” Wade said when the statue was unveiled behind him.
It turned out a lot of fans were also asking the same question.
Some were critical of the statue’s likeness to Wade, drawing comparisons to the infamous bust of Cristiano Ronaldo that was unveiled at Madeira Airport in 2017.
One comment on an Instagram video of the unveiling said that the statue better resembled Laurence Fishburne as ’Morpheus’ from the movie ‘The Matrix’ than Wade.
However, Will Manso, a local reporter, later posted a close-up photo of the statue on X, formerly known as Twitter, and said it “looks much better than in pictures.”
Wade, for his part though, appeared in awe of the statue behind him as he gave his speech.
Fans criticized the likeness of the statue although Wade himself didn’t seem too bothered and was relishing the moment. Michael Laughlin/AP
“This is crazy,” he said. “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 added, again turning around to admire the statue.
Miami’s two-day celebration of Wade will continue on Monday night when the Heat host the Detroit Pistons.
Steph Curry suffers injury in Warriors loss
The Golden State Warriors are sweating over the health of franchise star Steph Curry, who was forced out of their 112-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers with an ankle injury.
Curry twisted his left ankle in the third quarter but re-entered the game in the fourth after receiving treatment on the bench. However, he then left the contest for good after re-aggravating the injury and had to be helped back to the locker room by teammates.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Curry described the injury as “mild or moderate,” adding he would undergo an MRI scan on Sunday.
“He’s obviously sprained that ankle many times before,” Kerr added. “He doesn’t think it’s too bad, but it’s a concern.”
Curry had 18 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals before exiting, with Andrew Wiggins stepping up in his absence to record a game-high 29 points.
