Dwyane Wade Takes Aim At Social Media In Wake Of Statue Backlash

Shandel Richardson | Oct 29, 2024

Oct 28, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Former Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade poses with his statue in front of the Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

When the Miami Heat unveiled Dwyane Wade's statue Sunday outside Kaseya Center, it was immediately met with backlash from fans on social media.

Many felt the statue had no resemblance to Wade. On Monday, Wade addressed the criticism.

"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."

Dwyane Wade speaking pre-game about the reaction to his statue. He’s read the comments, and some have made him laugh. But he has a great attitude about it:

“It doesn’t need to look like me. It’s an artistic version of a moment that happened.” pic.twitter.com/Su7D1DFcb2

— Will Manso (@WillManso) October 28, 2024

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 time."

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

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