In October, the Miami Heat immotalized Dwyane Wade’s time with the franchise with a bronze statue of his likeness that stands outside the team’s home arena. The team hosted an event to celebrate his legacy and unveil the sculpture, but the franchise was mocked heavily as fans complained that the statue barely resembled the three-time NBA champion. While many felt it was an insult to Wade, it was later unearthed that the Hall of Famer had already gotten a look at it and approved it, which left fans baffled.
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The Hall of Famer’s close friend Carmelo Anthony appeared on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and spoke about being present at the statue unveiling. When asked why the Heat icon did not object to the dissimilarities between him and the sculpture, the forward said,
“I think he was caught up in the process, like he loved the process of it, and forgot the outcome.”
The Knicks icon claimed that he did not get the chance to have a good look at the statue as he was sitting to the side and by the time he got to the site to see it, a large crowd had gathered, so he left. He revealed that he received a photo of it later and didn’t believe that it was the real thing.
Wade also joked about the facial inaccuracies of the statue when it was unveiled, but defended it and claimed he was ecstatic to get one. He said,
“There’s only a few organizations that have a statue outside. There’s not even 15 players who played this game of basketball that have a statue outside… So, for me to be the vessel that’s used, to be the chosen one, I’m proud of it. I don’t know a lot of people with a statue. Do you? No one out there do neither. And so, it’s an unbelievable process to be a part of. And it’s a complicated process.”
Anthony shares the same view as the guard. He claimed that the jokes are hilarious, but argued that getting a statue is one of, if not the greatest honor that can be bestowed upon an athlete and Wade getting one in an incredible achievement.
