DWYANE Wade’s statue outside Kaseya Center was unveiled yesterday, after a successful career as one of the NBA’s best shooting guards in history, during which he spent the most of his seasons with the Miami Heat.
Wade had a spectacular career, winning three NBA championships with the Heat in 2006, 2012, and 2013, and appearing in 13 All-Star games. He was also named MVP of the 2006 Finals, his first title.
Bringing these accomplishments to a historic franchise, Marquette’s all-around shooting guard had his No. 3 jersey retired by the club, making him the first player to have his own monument outside their home arena as well.
However, from what could’ve been one of the most, if not the most, historic and celebratory day of Wade’s life turned out to be one of the funniest as well given the reaction he had towards the statue.
Who is that guy?
Wade’s statue was designed to depict his famous ‘This is my house’ celebration after scoring a buzzer-beating shot against the Chicago Bulls for a 130-127 double overtime victory on March 9, 2009.
However, while the statue was able to copy his hand movements, NBA fans pointed out that its face bore little to no resemblance to the Chicago native; even Wade appears to agree, stating, “Who is that guy?”
Given how highly anticipated this celebration has been since its announcement by team president Pat Riley last season, all NBA fans took the time to see it, allowing them the chance to turn this event into a meme.
It’s the story
Meanwhile, despite accepting the humorous side of things, Wade remains grateful for his old team’s historic gesture for him.
“That’s beautiful. Personally, I think that it’s one of the best statues that’s been created because of what it represents. Man, I just have so many emotions,” said Wade in a post-event press conference.
“Just sitting out there, in my mind, I’m like: ‘What? Me?’ I know it’s bigger than me. This moment is way beyond just now, and way beyond the years that I will exist in life,” he added.
Wade further stated that the statue’s face should not be a huge concern because the story behind it will be the main focus at the presentation.
“I care, but I don’t,” Wade said in a separate interview. “Everyone has an opinion. 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.”
“If I wanted it to look like me, l’d just stand outside the arena and y’all can take photos. It don’t need to look like me. It’s the artistic version of a moment that happened that we’re trying to cement,” he added.
Wade is still the team’s all-time top scorer, and he is the first player in franchise history to get a statue. He was also intimately involved in the statue’s production, which took approximately 800 hours to complete.
