(Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for FWRD)
Dwyane Wade basically said, “Twinnnnn, that ain’t him,” with his hilarious reaction to a new statue in his honor. Wade’s former NBA team, Miami Heats, acknowledged his time with the franchise on Sunday (Oct. 27). They unveiled an eight-foot statue of the NBA champion, who played 16 seasons in the league.
To this day, Dwyane Wade ranks as the No. 1 player in Miami Heats history for points, assists and games played, per CNN. However, their bronze honor seemed to miss the mark for the 13-time All-Star player.
Before discussing Wade’s reaction, it’s worth mentioning that he’s also the first player in the Miami Heat’s history to have a bronze statue outside the team’s Kaseya Center. The moment the franchise tried to honor shows Dwyane’s “This is my house” celebration after winning against the Chicago Bulls in double-overtime in 2009.
And Miami Heat pulled out the big-time show while unveiling the bronze art! That included smoke and an electronic curtain pull-back.
Dressed in an all-black suit, Wade stood back and admired the art with his hands clasped. When he touched the mic, he kept it 100, about whether the mark was missed.
“Thats crazy. I cant believe that. Who is that guy,” the pro-baller said after the statue was unveiled.
Social media is cuttin’ up at his reactions (peep the comments). Ultimately, though, Dwyane Wade shared his gratitude for the statue. Miami Heat is celebrating their former player for two days this week, including Monday night (Oct. 28) during their Detroit Pistons game.
“This is crazy, Dwyane said, per CNN. “I wanted to feel this. Life goes by so fast and its very rare that we get to feel things because were always off to the next thing.” Adding, “So I didnt prepare much because I wanted to feel this, man. I wanted to look at it.”
After his hilarious reaction went viral, Wade shared footage of the creative process of the statue.
As social media continued to drag the artsy honor, Wade took a minute to clarify that he stood by his statue despite the jokey jokes. In a media conference on Monday (Oct. 28), Wade said by now, folks should know he’s the type who cares, but also not really.
“The social media world is about opinions; everyone has an opinion. Use y’all opinions. Talk more about us; talk about the statue. Come out and see it. Take some photos. Make some memes. We don’t care. It was a special moment yesterday, my family and I…”
Wade added that the statue process is “unbelievable” and complicated. He said their goal was to capture a moment representing him, the franchise, and Miami. “It don’t need to look like me, it’s an artistic version of a moment that happened,” he said.
While his statue now stands outside of Kaseya Center, Dwyane Wade’s legacy is also featured in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Speaking of statues, another former NBA legend was recently honored with a touching memorial piece.
In August, the Lakers unveiled a “girl dad” statue featuring the late Kobe Bryant and his late daughter Gianna Bryant. Kobe’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, attended the unveiling with their three living daughters, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.
