Heat legend Dwyane Wade said he heard the opinions about his statue outside the Kaseya Center in Miami and “whether it actually looked like me” loud and clear.
asserted
it → say → me
The Heat shared photos of Wade’s statue Friday and said it was “a closer look at the enhancements to his statue.”
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it → share → statue
The team did not elaborate on the adjustments, but the images showed a new head on Wade’s body .
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images → elaborate → body
Many criticized the first version of the statue, which was revealed in October 2024, saying it didn’t look like the three-time NBA champ.
“I heard the jokes.
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I → criticize → jokes
I saw the memes.
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I → see → memes
I read the reactions,” Wade said Friday in a Substack post.
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Wade → read → post
“Everybody had an opinion about whether it actually looked like me.”
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it → have → me
Wade, who previously said he was heavily involved in the making of the statue with artists Oscar León of Rotblatt Amrany Studio and Omri Amrany, chose an iconic moment from his Heat career that the statue commemorates.
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statue → say → that
It was his “This is my house!” celebration after he hit a one-legged game-winning three-pointer as time expired to break a 127-127 score against the Bulls in double overtime on March 9, 2009.
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time → hit → March
Wade, who finished that game with 48 points, six rebounds, 12 assists, four steals and three blocks, jumped on the scorer’s table and yelled, declaring Miami’s arena his home while pointing his both index fingers downward.
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who → finish → fingers
“So eventually, I had to ask myself a pretty simple question: If people don’t feel that connection when they look at the face, why wouldn’t we try to make it better?” Wade said on Substack.
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Wade → have → Substack
“So we listened and had honest conversations with everyone involved, and we all agreed to make adjustments to the head.
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we → listen → head
The process was different this time because we could focus on one specific part instead of recreating the entire statue.
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we → focus → statue
I enjoyed the original process, but I also appreciated the simplicity and focus of this one.
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I → enjoy → one
“It gave us a chance to make sure the face better connects with the person and the emotion the statue is meant to represent.
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statue → give → person
This isn’t about erasing the work that was already done or disrespecting the artists who put their time and talent into creating it.
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who → erase → it
The new head was installed on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Miami Herald.
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head → instal → Herald
“It’s about being willing to listen.
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It → ’ → ?
It’s about recognizing when something carries meaning for more people than just yourself and being open enough to revisit it
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something → ’ → it
,” León and Amrany told the outlet.
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León → tell → outlet
“We decided that the importance of Dwyane warranted making those refinements rather than accepting something we believed could be improved.”
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we → decide → something
Wade’s original statue was first made with clay before it was coated in bronze.
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it → make → bronze
León said in 2024 that more than 800 hours went into creating the statue — and he spent 16 additional hours consulting with Wade.
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he → say → Wade
At the time, Wade responded after a wave of attention from his statue.
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Wade → respond → statue
“If I wanted it to look like me, I’d just stand outside the arena and y’all can take photos,” he said on Monday.
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he → want → Monday
“It don’t need to look like me.
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It → need → me
It’s the artistic version of a moment that happened that we’re trying to cement.”
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we → ’ → that
Now the new-look statue will be on display when the Heat host the Pacers on Friday.
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Heat → host → Friday
Wade was the fifth overall pick by the Heat in the 2003 NBA draft and went on to win three championships with Miami 2006, 2012 and 2013.
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Wade → go → Miami
The Hall of Fame guard, whose No. 3 jersey was retired by the Heat in 2020, is Miami’s all-time leader in points, assists, steals and games played.
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jersey → retire → points
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