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.
