Micky Arison has been the owner of the Miami Heat since 1995. But during that time, he and the Heat have only seen one statue be put up for a former member of the team. That statue was for none other than the franchise legend Dwyane Wade, and was unveiled in late 2024. It was a great tribute to the best player in their history by far.
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However, a massive storyline that came out after the unveiling of the statue was how the face did not look like Wade’s. In fact, it looked nothing like him, tainting what should’ve been a celebration. Instead, many questioned how the Heat and Arison could allow for the statue to see the public’s eye.
That’s why Arison recently came out and addressed the controversy. He talked about how it didn’t matter what he or anyone else thought about the statue because he knows for a fact that Wade loves it.
“You know, what I think of it doesn’t really matter. Dwyane loves it,” Arison said on Open Run with Rachel Nichols.
At the same time, the owner admits that the face is the hardest part to get right on a statue.
“If you look at a variety of different statues when you really focus in on their face, it’s hard in bronze, really, to get a good [face],” Arison added.
Most artists tend to agree that hands and faces are the hardest to get right on statues. Mainly because they both have so many subtle details that are essential to make it look realistic. But it’s also hard to convey emotion through a statue, which is something that the artist tried to recreate with Wade. In the end, it came out looking a bit rough.
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Even Arison later admitted that the statue only looks like Wade at certain angles.
“To me, only if you look at a certain angle does it look like Dwyane. If you look at it straight on, it definitely doesn’t… But if he’s happy, I’m happy,” Arison said.
The owner then went on to explain why he only cared about Wade’s happiness throughout the process. He referenced a time when he was helping fund a statue for a famous chef. But when the chef saw the final product, they did not like it.
So, Arison ensured he was in touch with Wade during the creation of the statue so that he knew he had his player’s approval.
“I want to make sure that Dwyane is absolutely happy with it. Has all the opportunity to see it from the beginning to the end so that he’s happy with it. And he is, and that’s all that matters.”
It really is all that matters at the end of the day. The public may have roasted Wade’s statue at the time because it didn’t look too much like him. But if he’s happy with it, it’s hard to feel the need to change it. Plus, it’s a statue. The symbol is perhaps the most important part, rather than how it looks. That’s why Arison has seemingly forgotten about the debacle and instead focuses on the brighter side.
