Fans Are Perplexed As They Declare New Statue of Dwyane Wade Is ‘Disrespecting His Legacy’

Fans are super confused after a new statue of Dwyane Wade was unveiled in Miami recently—and they’re not holding back their thoughts.

The former NBA star, who won three championships with the Miami Heat, was honored with a first-of-its-kind tribute on Sunday, Oct. 27.

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“Wade is the first player in Heat history to be immortalized with a statue outside of the team’s Kaseya Center, with the bronze sculpture honoring his iconic ‘This is my house’ celebration from the double-overtime win against the Chicago Bulls in 2009,” according to CNN Sports.

But while it is a great honor, fans are perplexed over the depiction of the retired pro athlete, insisting that it looks “nothing like him” and taking to social media to air their grievances over the perceived misstep.

“Redo the statue disrespecting his legacy,” one campaigned, as another stated, “Somebody needs to be fired for this.”

A third wanted to know, “How do you unveil something as horrendous as that?” in part.

Mincing no words, more continued to pour in with blunt criticism, like a few who added, “They have to fix it. It’s horrible,” “The Heat did him dirty, looks nothing like D-Wade!” and, “On what planet does that look like Dwyane Wade?”

“How does this happen? There are countless talented artists out there. Why didn’t they find one of them? How was this not quality controlled at all? This is still a great honor but it would be hard not to be disappointed,” another disgruntled fan admitted.

Meanwhile, one simply asked, “Who did this?”

“The sculptors behind Wade’s statue, Studio Rotblatt Amrany, are well known for immortalizing NBA legends. With over 300 bronze sculptures to their name, the studio’s notable works include statues of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Oscar León and Omri Amrany led the creation of Wade’s statue,” per Essentially Sports.

Playing a total of 16 seasons in the NBA, Wade is a 13-time All-Star, holding the No. 1 ranking in Heat history for points, assists, and games played, and is one of just two players to have been on all three of the franchise’s title-winning teams. The 42-year-old retired in 2019.

Next: Dwyane Wade Looks Back on ‘Hard’ Year With Gabrielle Union as They Celebrate 10th Anniversary