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Dwyane Wade’s Miami Heat statue criticized by fans: ‘Looks nothing like him’
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Dwyane Wade’s Miami Heat statue criticized by fans: ‘Looks nothing like him’

An 8-foot-tall statue meant to honor Dwyane Wade’s legacy in the NBA is drawing criticism from fans who say the statue isn’t a slam dunk.

Wade was joined by his family, including his wife Gabrielle Union-Wade, on Sunday for the unveiling of the statue at the Kaseya Center in Miami, where Wade made history in his 13 seasons with the Miami Heat.

The bronze statue immortalizes the moment in 2009 when Wade exclaimed, “This is my house,” after scoring the game-winning shot at home in a dual victory against the Chicago Bulls.

The Miami Heat shared a video of the statue’s unveiling on Instagram with the caption: “Our franchise’s greatest legacy, cemented forever.”

The video shows Wade viewing and taking in the statue before being joined by his family members.

PHOTO: Dwyane Wade looks at his statue after it was unveiled during an unveiling ceremony for the Kaseya Center, Oct. 27, 2024, in Miami.

Dwyane Wade looks at his statue after it was unveiled during an unveiling ceremony for the Kaseya Center, Oct. 27, 2024, in Miami.

Miami Herald/TNS/Getty Images

“I just thought, ‘That’s beautiful,'” Wade said during a press conference about the statue on Sunday, according to the Miami Herald. “I’m biased, but I think it’s one of the best statues ever made because of what it represents.” represents us and for me.”

Fans were less complimentary of the statue on social media, where many criticized it, saying it looked nothing like the retired NBA star.

“So when is the reveal of the actual WADE statue because that’s not Wade… that’s someone else in a heat jersey,” one commenter wrote on Instagram.

“That doesn’t look like Dwayne (sic) Wade at all. Heat gets your money back,” wrote another.

Commenters seemed to have the most criticism of the statue’s depiction of Wade’s face, with one person writing: “Bro fix the face PLEASE how do they get the other details right and ruin the face so badly.”

“FIX THE FACE ON THE STATUE @miamiheat,” another person commented on a separate Instagram post in which Wade and his family celebrated the designation of a local road, renamed Dwyane Wade Blvd.

The statue was created by Omri Amrany and Oscar León, sculptors at Rotblatt Amrany Studio in Chicago.

Dwyane Wade and his family strike the pose depicted on the statue after it was unveiled in front of the Kaseya Center, Oct. 27, 2024, in Miami.

Miami Herald/TNS/Getty Images

Both Wade and the sculptors said the Heat star was deeply involved in the creation of the statue.

“It was a wonderful process to be a part of,” Wade said, according to the Miami Herald. “I think I visited Chicago about four times. I think I probably stayed there about four hours. Each time it was just a great collaborative process with the Miami Heat, with Fine Art Studio and also with myself and my family. So It was cool.”

León confirmed that Wade visited the design studio “several times.”

“It was that last visit with those final minor adjustments that he got to see first hand. After that we really feel confident in the process. The bronze brings out a level of depth and brilliance and a vibrancy that you can’t get in the clay you can get,” said León. “The clay absorbs a lot of light, while this bronze has such a beautiful quality that you just can’t imagine what that will look like. But we trust the process.”

Rotblatt Amrany Studio, which has also shot images of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, posted a photo of Wade in the design studio on its website, saying: “The studio had the opportunity to spend time with Wade over the past year to capture his likeness from bronze.”

Wade said it was his choice to have his “This is my house” moment immortalized with the statue, describing it as the “greatest moment of my individual career.”

“I was like, people are going to drive and they’re going to look up and I’m going to say, ‘This is my house,’” he said. “I thought, ‘That’s going to be pretty cool from the street.'”

“Good Morning America” reached out to Studio Rotblatt Amrany for comment but did not immediately hear back.