The recent unveiling of a statue to honor NBA star Dwyane Wade by the Miami Heat quickly sparked reactions from fans, who mostly agreed the tribute looks nothing like the man himself.
The statue was commissioned by the Heat and created by sculptors Omri Amrany and Oscar León from Rotblatt Amrany Studio. It was intended to celebrate Wade’s lasting impact on the franchise, but many fans saw nothing but the fact that the features didn’t resemble Wade.
Wade was honored with a ceremony, and the new statue was unveiled outside the Kaseya Center in Miami on Sunday. The statue is supposed to be of Wade doing the “This is my house” pose, per Sports Illustrated.
“The Miami Heat should’ve had a contest where they showed this picture to 1,000 fans — and anyone who guesses it’s Dwyane Wade gets to keep the statue,” one social media user wrote on X.
“This statue is so bad it’s making me forget what Dwayne [sic] Wade actually looks like,” another comment said. “The longer I look, the harder it is for me to picture his real face.”
“They did him dirty with that sculpture. In no way does that remotely look like Dwyane Wade,” another wrote.
“Why is Dwayne Wade [sic] unveiling a statue of Laurence Fishburne??” another wondered.
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Wade also seemed to react to the lack of resemblance, saying during his speech, “Like that’s crazy, I can’t believe it, like who is that guy?” while gesturing towards the statue.
Dwayne Wade on his statue:
“WHO’S THAT GUY.” 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/NGL7ZN2NYX
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) October 27, 2024
Wade was not the first athlete to see a statue meant to resemble him go viral for the wrong reason.
A bronze bust of NFL star Peyton Manning made headlines after its unveiling in 2021, with fans saying it didn’t even come close to capturing the look of the former top pick of the NFL draft.
Soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo was honored with a bronze bust that was mocked for looking nothing like him, leading to his brother having a new statue commissioned just one year after its unveiling in 2017.
