Inside The Heat

Dwyane Wade Statue Creator Responds To Criticism

Shandel Richardson

Oct 28, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Former Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade is honored at halftime during the game against the Detroit Pistons at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Oct 28, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Former Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade is honored at halftime during the game against the Detroit Pistons at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
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Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat received backlash after the unveiling of the statue Sunday.

On Monday, the creator responded to the criticism. Here's what sculpture artist Omri Amrany told Will Manso of WPLG Local 10.



“I couldn’t do better than that. I don’t think anybody else can do better than that. It is what it is, and we will love it forever.”

Manso then tweeted, "And they added Dwyane loved it. But you can’t tell people on-line that because it’s all negativity. I’ve talked to plenty of fans here today and they love it. Taking pics. Time will change opinion."

Wade also addressed the issue.

"The social media world is about opinions," Wade said. "Everyone has an opinion. Use y'all opinions. Please talk more abut us. Talk more about the statue. Come out and see it. Take some photos. Send some memes. We don't care. It was a special moment (Sunday) for my family and I."

Wade is among a select few players to have statues outside an arena. He joined the likes of Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Dominique Wilkins and Dirk Nowitzki. All are Hall of Famers.

"I don't know a lot of people with a statue. Do you know anybody? In here, y'all know anything about the process of the statue," Wade asked the media Monday. "No one out there does neither. It's an unbelievable process to be a part of and it's a complicated process. If I want it to look like me, I'll just stand outside of the arena and y'all just take photos. It don't need to look like me. It's an artistic version of a moment that happened that we're trying to submit. I appreciate all the comments everyone has. I'm in on the joke. I laugh all the

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here