‘Who is that guy?’ Sculpture of Dwyane Wade has basketball fans confused

Dwyane Wade, 13-time NBA all-star and Miami Heat alum, is now forever immortalized in bronze, but many basketball fans are scratching their heads after his statue was unveiled over the weekend.
He’s the first Heat player to ever have a statue made in his likeness, and it honours his iconic “This is my house” celebration from his team’s double-overtime win against the Chicago Bulls in 2009.

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And while those who attended the Miami unveiling over the weekend applauded the commissioned piece, many online said they’re struggling to see the resemblance.
They did Dwayne Wade dirty. That statue is not it. pic.twitter.com/QhJGgBOWLz
— Elise (@TeamRickandIlsa) October 27, 2024

Some observers remarked the statue more resembled Laurence Fishburne and his character Morpheus from The Matrix rather than Wade.
Miami Heat did Dwyane Wade dirty pic.twitter.com/ZRIPoNhxFA
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) October 27, 2024

D WADE STATUE LOOKS LIKE MORPHEUS!They never ever get these statues right 🤦🏽 pic.twitter.com/pcNp9AVV4u
— Theinsidedrop (@theinsidedrop) October 28, 2024

Another said they think the statue looks more like Kelsey Grammer.
Dwayne Wade statue looks like he had too much tossed salad and scrambled eggs pic.twitter.com/pZVZCIoCB2
— Internet Killed the Video Store (@xthevideostorex) October 27, 2024

“That’s crazy. I can’t believe that. Who is that guy?” Wade said, per CNN, after the statue was unveiled.
“This is crazy,” he continued. “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.
“So I didn’t prepare much because I wanted to feel this, man. I wanted to look at it,” he added, again turning around to admire the statue.

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Wade is clearly very proud to have the eight-foot statue standing in his honour outside Kaseya Center, despite many feeling it wasn’t a slam dunk; since Sunday’s unveiling he’s been posting to Instagram and his Instagram story, sharing how humbled he is.
“I was just like, ‘That’s beautiful,” Wade said of the statue during a news conference Sunday, according to the Miami Herald. “I’m biased, but I think it’s one of the best statues that’s been created because of what it represents for us and for me.”
Will Manso, Heat radio host and reporter, defended the statue, telling his followers on X that it “looks much better than in pictures,” and that the appearance changes if you’re looking up at the statue versus gazing at it head-on.
For what it’s worth, finally getting up close to the Dwyane Wade statue and have to say it looks much better than in pictures.
I think the jawline is stronger so it really changes the face when you’re not looking up at it too much. pic.twitter.com/RSuWB8Ezbc
— Will Manso (@WillManso) October 27, 2024

And while Wade himself seems unbothered by the criticism, others can’t help but draw comparisons to other widely panned sports statues unveiled in recent years, including the 2017 bust of soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo, which ended up being one of the most mocked sculptures in recent history and resulted in the sculptor being given a shot at redemption.
29.03.2017 vs. 29.03.2018
Emmanuel Santos’ shot at redemption. pic.twitter.com/A91RjDJCOF
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 29, 2018

The following year, a plaque of U.S. soccer star Brandi Chastain was also widely criticized when it was unveiled for the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, with many commenting that it made her look like Bill Belichick or Babe Ruth.