A recently unveiled statue of beloved American basketball star DwyaneWade has sparked backlash online after some said they could see no resemblance to the ex-Miami Heat icon.

The statue shows Wade shouting “this is my house” after hitting a game-winning three-point shot against the Chicago Bulls in 2009. Wade called the statue “beautiful” when it was unveiled in Miami on Sunday.

But critics said the statue’s face looks more like actors Laurence Fishburne or Kelsey Grammer. Fellow NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce was among the haters, saying Wade needed a “redo” because he was too “legendary.”

On Monday, one of the sculptors responsible for creating the bronze artwork defended it, saying not everyone will have “a positive reaction.”

Omri Amrani said this on Monday Front office sports“I want to be an artist who creates an immediate response and you can’t expect all of human society to have a positive response.”

The iconic moment the statue depicts was chosen by Wade himself, said Mr. Amrani, who has also created statues of NBA legends including Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

Wade made several trips to the art studio to collaborate on the project.

But online some said the image looked more like a zombie from the movie I Am Legend.

However, Wade said he likes the statue.

“Personally, I am biased. I think it is one of the best images ever created because of what it represents for us and for me,” he told the newspaper. Miami Herald.

The incident is reminiscent of several other much-criticized images from the past, including the unveiling of a statue of Queen Elizabeth II in Britain last month.

There was also the statue of a footballer Cristiano Ronaldo at a Portuguese airport. After an extensive makeover, it was unveiled for the second time.

And the statue of the famous American comedian and TV star Lucille Ball, which was unveiled in New York in 2009, was called “Scary Lucy” by local residents because of its ghostly expression.

The statue was replaced by another artist in 2016 after a social media campaign to have it removed.