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Amid an overwhelming social media reaction to Sunday’s unveiling of the statue of Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade outside Kaseya Center, the artists behind the statue are standing behind their work.
“I couldn’t do better than that. I don’t think anybody else can do better than that,” sculpture artist Omri Amrany told local Heat reporter Will Manso when asked about fans’ reaction to the statue. “It is what it is, and we will love it forever.”
Manso added that Amrany and fellow sculptor Oscar León are proud of their work and encouraged people to come see it for themselves.
The statue was meant to replicate Wade’s “This is my house” moment after his memorable game-winning shot for the Heat against the Chicago Bulls on March 9, 2009.
Wade told reporters that he’s aware of the social media reaction to the statue, but he’s still pleased with how it came out.
“Social media world is about opinions. Send some memes. We don’t care,” he said. “It was a special moment yesterday, my family and I. … It don’t need to look like me. It’s an artistic version of me.”
Wade previously said he was involved in the process of creating his statue, and the artists were confident he was satisfied with their work.
“He walked away very happy. By that last visit, he had basically seen everything he wanted to see. We made all the adjustments he wanted,” León told Alex Miranda and Kevin Boulandier of WSVN 7 in Miami before the unveiling of the statue.
Still, that didn’t stop fans from calling out the lack of resemblance the statue has to Wade, who is one of the greatest players in Heat history, having helped lead the team to three NBA championships.
However, the 42-year-old made it clear he doesn’t take himself too seriously and he wants to laugh along with everyone else as they get their jokes off.
“I appreciate the comments that everybody has because I’m in on the joke, guys,” Wade told reporters. “I laugh all the time. I saw some memes today and I was like, ‘Yeah, it kind of got a little Laurence Fishburne with the lower jawline.’”
