Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Dwyane Wade Responds After Fans Mock Newly Unveiled Statue For Looking Nothing Like Him

Dwayne Wade at statue unveiling; Dwayne Wade at press conference
@barstoolsports/X, Miami Heat

The Miami Heat player responded to basketball fans who mocked the eight-foot bronze statue that many said was "completely unrecognizable."

NBA star Dwayne Wade had a chill response to all the memes mocking a statue raised in his honor, which many social media users thought looked nothing like him.

The controversial bronze statue, co-created by sculpture artist Omri Amrany, was erected on October 27, 2024, outside the entrance to the Kaseya Center, the home of the Miami Heat NBA basketball team.


The dramatic presentation featured fire and smoke effects against a black backdrop listing Wade's career highlights, including his three NBA titles.

You can watch the unveiling here.

But on social media, the sculpture was ruthlessly mocked, with some claiming it looked more like actor Laurence Fishburne than Wade.

The controversy was also compared to the highly ridiculed bust of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo unveiled in 2017 at the International Airport in Madeira, Portugal that was re-named after him.

Here's what some other critics and fans are saying about Wade's statue online.






Despite all the hubbub, Wade, regarded as one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history, couldn't be bothered by the negativity.

The 42-year-old responded to the criticism by encouraging a discussion.

“The social media world is about opinions," said the 2023 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

Wade continued:

"Please talk more about us. Talk more about a statue, come on down to see it, take some photos, send some memes. We don’t care.”

In response to complaints that the final result failed to resemble him, Wade said:

“If I wanted it to look like me, I’d just stand outside the arena and y’all can take photos.”

Wade remained humble and expressed gratitude that the arena paid him tribute at all.

He added:

“I don’t know a lot of people with a statue. Do you?”

You can listen to his statements here.


After the Heat retired Wade's #3 jersey in 2020, the team announced they would honor his enduring legacy with a statue unveiling in late 2024.

Heat President Pat Riley said:

“Dwyane’s legacy is a towering one not only for the Miami HEAT but for Miami-Wade County."
"I can’t think of a better way to honor him than by memorializing that legacy.”

Amrany responded to the viral criticism of his statue and revealed that Wade had visited his firm, Studio Rotblatt Amrany in Chicago, multiple times and was involved in the creation of the sculpture.

Amrany, who collaborated with artist Oscar Leon to create the Wade statue, told Front Office Sports on Monday:

“I want to be an artist that creates an in-your-face response and you cannot expect all of human society will have a positive reaction.”

He continued:

“Some people will come with a goofy response or angry response. That’s not because of what the art is itself, but rather how it makes them feel."

The artist concluded by saying, "So, if this is my part of being a psychologist, fine.”

In response to Wade saying, "Who is this guy?" in response to seeing the statue at the unveiling, Amrany claimed the NBA star was just "joking."

“He knew exactly what he wanted,” Amrany said.

“He was very happy with the piece… Some people took it like he didn’t recognize his own sculpture, which is completely the opposite. It was just an expression."
"Sometimes people take the expression literally instead of trying to understand the depth of it.”

According to the Miami Herald, Wade called the statue “beautiful” at Sunday’s unveiling ceremony.

More from Trending

Lynda Carter; Screenshot of Donald Trump
Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images; Newsmax

Lynda Carter Hilariously Channels Wonder Woman In Response To Trump's Claim About 'Undetectable' Planes

After President Donald Trump touted the U.S. military's "stealth" planes that he described as "undetectable," Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter responded to his claim with a funny quip sure to delight fans of her iconic character.

Earlier, Trump boasted about the military's capabilities in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office amid heightened concerns about the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict that is sending shockwaves throughout the Middle East and around the world:

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Tucker Carlson
The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker Carlson And Ted Cruz Get Into Shouting Match Over Iran In Bonkers Interview Clip

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz—a harsh Donald Trump critic-turned-MAGA minion—sat down with fired Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for the conservative influencer's self-produced online content,The Tucker Carlson Show, for the Tucker Carlson Network.

On Tuesday, Carlson shared a 1.5-minute clip revealing that things got contentious when the pair touched on the Trump administration's escalating tensions with Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Barack Obama
Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Resurfaced Trump Tweet Criticizing Obama Over Iran Comes Back To Bite Him

Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."

Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.

Keep ReadingShow less
​​Elon Musk
Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

Anti-Elon Banner at Stanford

Stanford University graduates were given creative advice from above as an airplane flew over the graduation ceremony with a banner reading, “CONGRATS! DON’T WORK FOR ELON.”

The moment was captured last Sunday during the university’s 134th Commencement ceremony, where the Class of 2025 received their degrees at Stanford Stadium.

Keep ReadingShow less