Dwyane Wade Asks 'Who Is That Guy?' After Statue Unveiling, Fans Have Questions About Sculpture’s Look
It's worth pointing out that Wade himself was involved with the process of bringing the historic statue to life.
Dwyane Wade became the first Miami Heat player in NBA history to be honored with a statue outside the Kaseya Center on Sunday.
As has become tradition at this point, the look of the statue was met with a wave of impassioned reactions on social media, complete with some inspired Photoshopping and general memery. Wade himself reacted to the honor during a special ceremony on Sunday, saying he was moved to the point of wordlessness by the mere existence of such a statue.
“I didn’t prepare much because I wanted to feel this, man,” the three-time NBA champ told those gathered for the unveiling. “I wanted to look at it. Like, that’s crazy. I can’t believe that. Who is that guy?”
Wade continued, pointing out that he’s written numerous speeches over the course of his career in the league and beyond, though this particular honor had him drawing a blank.
“Because this is out of body, y’all,” he added. “This is nothing that you can dream of. This is nothing I ever thought I would experience. I didn’t play for this. I didn’t pick up the basketball for this. I picked up the basketball to change my family’s life.”
While Wade was understandably moved, and others have since offered remarks in defense of the statue by arguing that certain angles are more flattering than others, not everyone was thrilled by the statue. For what it’s worth, Wade himself was involved with the statue’s creation process, as was detailed at a press conference on Sunday featuring sculptors Omri Amrany and Oscar León.
“At the end of the day, we want to do the best possible job that is capable with human hands,” León said. “To have that opportunity really is a special thing.”
At any rate, for some, the jokes couldn’t help but fly after the statue’s unveiling. Get a sampling of that in action below.
For the unveiling, Wade wore multiple Tiffany & Co. pieces, namely: Tiffany T earrings, an Elsa Peretti brooch, a Tiffany Titan by Pharrell Williams ring, and a Tiffany Eternity watch. Monday, fans can expect an in-game celebration of Wade’s historic honor, notably timed to align with the 21st anniversary of his first Heat showdown.
