NBA
Fans roast Dwyane Wade statue after Heat unveiling: ‘Who the hell is this?’
It was a day that Dwyane Wade won’t soon forget as a statue of him was unveiled outside Kaseya Center in Miami.
Just one problem, the statue did not look remotely close to the three-time NBA champion and the internet was quick to jump on the hilarity of the situation.
Photos of the statue made their rounds on social media with users turning it into a meme.
“When Pat Riley won’t give you max money so you have to sign with the Bulls,” one person wrote above a picture of the statue.
“That’s Wayne Dade,” another person wrote in a post.
“Miami Heat did Dwyane Wade dirty,” another person joked.
“Man who the hell is this??? The Miami Heat did Dwyane Wade filthy with this statue lmao,” a third user wrote.
The Heat unveiled the statue on Sunday outside their home arena eight months after it had been announced that the team would be honoring their all-time leading scorer.
Miami is also planning to honor Wade with an in-game ceremony when the Heat host the Pistons on Monday night.
“This is crazy,” Wade said on Sunday, according to the Associated Press. “I wanted to feel this. Life goes by so fast and it’s very rare that we get to feel things, because we’re always off to the next thing. … I wanted to feel this, man. I wanted to look at it.”
The statue also includes a wall that lists all of Wade’s accomplishments near the front doors of the arena.
“As the greatest player ever in Miami Heat history, yes, it’s his day, it’s his family’s day,” Riley said.
Wade is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and is one of six players in franchise history to have their numbers retired.
Udonis Haslem, Chris Bosh, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning are the others with their numbers retired by the Heat.