Social Media Shocked By New Dwyane Wade Statue
Oct 27, 2024, 4:54 PM | Updated: 4:56 pm
Dwyane Wade looks on during the Pat Riley ceremony celebrating his court dedication (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY—Dwyane Wade was honored with a bronze statue outside Kaseya Center in Miami, but NBA fans were shocked when it was unveiled.
Plans for the statue were first announced in January, and sculptors Omri Amrany and Oscar León were selected for the commission.
After Sunday’s reveal, the Wade statue drew mixed reactions on social media.
NBA Fans React To Dwyane Wade Statue
Some fans celebrated Wade’s statue, showing the longtime Miami Heat star in his black number 3 jersey.
Dwyane Wade’s statue.
#3 forever immortalized in Miami. pic.twitter.com/aioXErJezy
— 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (@HeatvsHaters) October 27, 2024
Others were less enthusiastic.
“Not trying to be rude, but if you removed the jersey and gave me 100 guesses for who this was a statue of, none of those guesses would be Dwyane Wade,” one X user posted.
Some fans took it a step further.
Why did they make Dwyane Wade look like the villain from The Mask? pic.twitter.com/GxMtLBzNyy
— Kristie (@nairnsy27) October 27, 2024
Statue maker: I can’t find a picture of Dwyane Wade, I’ll just use this instead https://t.co/E6XP959ydH pic.twitter.com/5G2f6GFPIS
— Jake Ciely (@allinkid) October 27, 2024
The Heat ordered the Dwyane Wade statue off Temu. pic.twitter.com/QuS6ZbFc0m
— Carrington Harrison (@cdotharrison) October 27, 2024
The artists who made the statue are part of the Rotblatt Armany Studio, the same group that sculpted Michael Jordan’s statue at the United Center, and Kobe Bryant’s statue outside Crypto Arena.
Wade Is Part Owner Of The Utah Jazz
In 2023, the Jazz announced that Wade was joining the organization’s ownership group.
Before joining the Jazz, Wade played in the NBA for 16 seasons, 14 as a member of the Heat. Wade retired from playing in 2019. The Heat retired his jersey in 2020.
The Chicago native was a 13-time NBA All-Star and a three-time NBA champion.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
