Dwyane Wade is widely celebrated as the greatest player in Miami Heat history, a legacy cemented by his three championships, 13 All-Star appearances, and eight All-NBA selections. To honor his impact, the Heat unveiled a statue of Wade outside their home arena, the Kaseya Center, during a ceremony this weekend.
However, the well-intentioned tribute quickly took a detour into the bizarre, as the statue’s appearance left many fans and even Wade himself in disbelief.
Despite being a long-overdue honor for Wade, the statue’s design seemed more like a distorted caricature than a homage befitting Miami’s most iconic player.
Upon seeing the statue, Wade even humorously questioned, “Who is that guy?”—a sentiment echoed by fans and social media alike.
The bronze depiction was so off-kilter that it sparked an avalanche of memes online, with fans comparing it to everything from fictional characters to other infamous statues, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s notorious bust from 2017.
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Some fans jokingly dubbed it the “Dwyane Weight” statue, noting that the figure appeared to age Wade by several decades, which only intensified the hilarity.
Others took solace in the fact that, at the very least, the statue didn’t come with any spelling errors, a jab at the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant statue, which famously had mistakes.
Although Wade retired in 2019 and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023, fans are left wondering if he’ll campaign for a statue redo—one that more accurately reflects his contributions to the Heat and NBA history.
For now, the unusual tribute stands as a talking point, proving once again that statues don’t always capture the essence of their subjects, but they certainly capture fans’ imaginations.
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