On Monday, Wade stepped up to the mic at a press conference ahead of the Heat’s "Wade Night" tipoff against the Detroit Pistons and addressed the fan reaction.
The Hall of Famer noted that the statue commemorates the biggest moment of his career, a triumph popularly referred to in Heat lore as Wade's "This Is My House" moment.
"We played the Chicago Bulls that time. It was my hometown team. I want to make sure that every fan, when they see it, they remember my career," Wade said. "And I think that sums up my career." Even so, many felt the statue’s likeness was off. Wade's first words upon seeing it were, "Who is this guy?" — and it wasn't clear whether he was joking.
On social media, users variously compared the ostensible likeness, created by the Chicago-based Rotblatt Armany Studio, to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Lawrence Fishburne in The Matrix, the Tin Man from The Wiz, and a cannibalistic Darkseeker from I Am Legend.
In keeping with his laid-back style, Wade appeared unfazed by the feedback.They have Dwayne Wade looking like a darkseeker from I Am Legend pic.twitter.com/JcVMpLplJB
— McKINLEY (@McK1nleytv) October 28, 2024
"Y'all gotta know me by now. I care, but I don't. The social media world is about opinions. Everyone has an opinion. Use y'all opinions. Please, talk more about us. Talk more about our statue. Come and see it. Take a few photos. Send some memes. We don't care."
Meanwhile, artists Omri Amrany and Oscar Léon had plenty to say in defense of their creation.
"To the critics, there's a lot that needs to be understood," León told NBC News. "We have to seal everything to keep the integrity of the sculpture. However, that does create a funny little side effect of being glossy in areas that we are not used to seeing when we look at somebody in the flesh. The sealer definitely creates a little bit of, um, a misunderstanding to the eye. So, I would definitely encourage everyone to come to Miami and view it in person."
So there it is, Miami: D-Wade isn’t losing sleep over the resemblance quibbles, and he’s fine with you not holding back. Feel free to join the meme fest.“I have an iPhone… Send some memes. I don’t care… I’m in on the joke.” @DwyaneWade when asked if he saw the statue reaction @5ReasonsSports pic.twitter.com/h2IGbN1q8f
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) October 28, 2024
