The Heat are set to honor Dwyane Wade’s contribution to the franchise by erecting a statue of the Hall of Fame guard outside the Kaseya Center on October 27th. The three-time NBA champion is best remembered for sacrificing his role as the first option on offense to accommodate LeBron James when he arrived in Miami. However, Gilbert Arenas argued that he was a lot more than just a great sidekick.
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On the Gil’s Arena podcast, the former Wizards star reminisced about facing Wade and detailed how dominant the guard was at the height of his career. Arenas claimed the Heat star was blessed with great strength, which helped him overpower bigger defenders with relative ease. He also spoke about his athleticism, which made him a powerful finisher at the rim.
Arenas lauded Wade’s ability to weaponize the Euro-step and his phenomenal bag of skills. He noted that the guard had terrific endurance and used it to great effect. He said,
“You didn’t know like he was strong and explosive and quick… He was turning Euro into dunking angles… His explosion was very underrated because no one realized how explosive he really was. Of spins, like just regular moves, he still had all that jumping power. That was really different.”
Arenas’ homage to Wade perfectly encapsulates why Wade is among the best shooting guards ever and deserves to immortalize his Hall of Fame career.
How Wade’s statute ceremony will unfold
Wade is set to become the first Heat player to be honored with a statue. The Heat retired his #3 jersey in February and are now giving him the ultimate honor. Rotblatt Amrany Studio founder Omri Amrany and artist Oscar León were commissioned to build Wade’s bronze statute.
The Studio’s previous work includes the famous ‘Michael Jordan Spirit’ statue in Chicago. They are also responsible for Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s statues that are erected outside the Crypto.com Arena, and Dirk Nowitzki’s sculpture standing outside the American Airlines Center.
Wade’s statue unveiling ceremony will be a marquee event. Hip-hop icon and Heat fan Rick Ross and emerging rapper Nino Breeze are scheduled to perform. On October 28th, the day after the unveiling, the franchise will host Dwyane Wade Statue Night at Kaseya Center when the Heat will host the Pistons. It’ll be the 21st anniversary of the guard’s debut for the franchise.
Wade will give a speech during the half-time break and everyone in attendance will be treated to highlight packages featuring the Hall of Famer.
