The Miami Heat have just unveiled a statue of team legend Dwyane Wade, and while the honor is well-deserved, the appearance of the statue has drawn lots of criticism.
Many feel the statue doesn’t really resemble the Hall of Famer who helped lead the Heat to three NBA championships and transformed them from a good team into an elite one.
Omri Amrany, the statue’s artist, defended himself from such criticism and even patted himself on the back for the job he did with it, per NBACentral.
“I couldn’t have done better than that. I don’t think anybody else could do better than that. It is what it is, and we will love it forever.”
Dwyane Wade’s statue artist, Omri Amrany, says no one could have done a better job.
“I couldn’t have done better than that. I don’t think anybody else could do better than that. It is what it is, and we will love it forever.”
(Via @WillManso ) pic.twitter.com/K4L6NjDjR3
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 28, 2024
Amrany, who is originally from Israel, has designed some other well-known statues in the world of sports, including the famous one that honors Michael Jordan outside of United Center in Chicago.
That statue has been well-received over the years, but the Wade statue is a different story.
Still, Wade himself greatly appreciates the honor, even if he doesn’t recognize the man the statue was built to resemble.
D-Wade: “Who is that guy?”
We’re all wondering the same thing man lol https://t.co/n9cJWk51uV pic.twitter.com/CFKKfBwn2t
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) October 27, 2024
He was the No. 5 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Heat at a time when they had been a perennial playoff team for several years but had only made one trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 15 years of existence.
With the help of Shaquille O’Neal, who arrived a year later, Wade got the Heat their first world championship in 2006 with a dynamic performance in the NBA Finals, and years later, he teamed up with LeBron James and Chris Bosh to bring the franchise two more Larry O’Brien Trophies.
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Bill Simmons Says Dwyane Wade’s Statue Is The ‘Worst Of All Time’
