Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat statue gets new head after two years of ridicule

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 31 Oct, 02:33 · Archive

The Miami Heat has replaced the head of its Dwyane Wade statue after widespread criticism that the original did not resemble the Hall of Famer.

The statue honouring Dwyane Wade outside the Miami Heat's arena has been given an upgrade after drawing widespread mockery since its unveiling in October 2024. The Heat revealed the enhanced statue on Friday, showing a new head on the original body. Wade, a three-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer who spent the majority of his career with the Heat, consented to the changes.

Wade addressed the criticism directly in an essay published Friday. 'I heard the jokes. I saw the memes. I read the reactions,' he wrote. 'Everybody had an opinion about whether it actually looked like me.' He continued: '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 emphasized that the decision to remake part of the statue came from listening to public feedback. 'We listened and had honest conversations with everyone involved, and we all agreed to make adjustments to the head,' he wrote. The sculptor Oscar León of Rotblatt Amrany Studio and Omri Amrany had worked with Wade on the original.

The statue commemorates an iconic moment from Wade's career: his 'This is my house!' celebration after he hit a one-legged game-winning three-pointer as time expired against the Bulls in double overtime on 9 March 2009. Wade finished that game with 48 points, six rebounds, 12 assists, four steals and three blocks before jumping on the scorer's table and pointing downward.

Wade became the first Miami Heat player to receive a statue outside the team's arena. 'This isn't about erasing the work that was already done or disrespecting the artists who put their time and talent into creating it,' he wrote. 'It's about being willing to listen.'

How it is being reported

• Miami Heat unveil 'enhanced' Dwyane Wade statue after original sculpture went viral for wrong reasonsThe Miami Heat unveiled an enhanced Dwyane Wade statue that finally resembles the franchise legend, but fans may miss the viral original version.Fox News · 30 Oct, 20:35
• Dwyane Wade statue looks completely different now — and that’s a very good thingHeat 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.New York Post · 30 Oct, 20:12
• Dwyane Wade's notoriously bad statue outside Miami Heat's arena finally gets an upgrade after years of ridiculeMindful of criticism that started coming in waves immediately after the statue was unveiled two years ago, Wade revealed Friday that he consented to having a new head made for the piece.Daily Mail Sport · 30 Oct, 17:09

In this story: Dwyane Wade · Miami Heat · Oscar León · Omri Amrany · Rotblatt Amrany Studio · Kaseya Center · Chicago Bulls

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