The unveiling of the Miami Heat’s statue of Dwyane Wade has sparked many reactions. And you have to give kudos to Wade for being so respectful in his response since the internet has gone off on the statue’s appearance. But there’s been one key NBA voice who had not yet had a chance to comment publicly, and he’s since remedied that. NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley roasted the Wade statue for nearly a minute, and he probably could have gone on for longer.
“It’s a great honor. But they gotta take that thing down… If you made an ugly statue, that’s what it would look like. That thing’s awful… [The statue’s face is from] after he saw the statue. That’s the face he made after he saw it!… The statue was so bad they had to put all of his stats behind it so you know who it was… Shoutout to the statue maker, get your education next time!”
Wade spoke poignantly about the statue and deflected the internet chatter via the Associated Press.
“If I wanted it to look like me, I’d just stand outside the arena and y’all can take photos,” Wade said. “It don’t need to look like me. It’s the artistic version of a moment that happened that we’re trying to cement. I care, but I don’t. The social media world is about opinions. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone, use y’all opinions. Please talk more about us. Talk more about a statue, come on down to see it, take some photos, send some memes. We don’t care.”
He later shared a touching moment with his daughter at the foot of his statue.
Remembering the NBA legacy of Dwyane Wade
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ClutchPoints’ Jedd Pagaduan shared many great memes about Wade’s statue, but we should also try to remember the Miami Heat legend for his NBA career.
Before Wade, the Miami Heat were only beginning their ascension. In 1987, the NBA announced four new expansion teams: the Heat, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets and Minnesota Timberwolves. Miami didn’t come into their own as a franchise until the 1996-97 season. That was Pat Riley’s second year as the team’s head coach after spending the previous four years with the New York Knicks. The Heat of that era were led by Tim Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn and Alonzo Mourning.
The Heat were already in decline when Wade arrived as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Wade would lead the Heat two seasons later to a world title and win NBA Finals MVP. It would be the first of three NBA championships.