Dwyane Wade should be honored for his achievements on the basketball court. His team, the <a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/01/nba-dallas-mavericks-winning-streak-ends-abruptly/" title="NBA: Dallas Mavericks winning streak ends abruptly”>Miami Heat, is honoring the former NBA star with a bronze statue. The sculpture causes horror among many fans. Wade himself also seems irritated.
Compliments have to be appropriate, otherwise things quickly become unpleasant. The same applies to honors, especially when they have been announced grandly. “I can’t think of a better way to honor him than by memorializing his legacy,” Miami Heat team president Pat Riley announced a tribute to Dwyane Wade in January. The former NBA superstar’s brilliant achievements should be honored in the form of a statue.
A good nine months later the time had finally come. The Wade sculpture was ceremoniously unveiled in front of the arena in Miami. The result, however, evoked more malice than admiration. The face in particular requires a lot of imagination if you want to see a resemblance to the person being honored. The statue Wade appears significantly older than his human counterpart. The “work of art” largely caused ridicule, consternation and amusement on social networks. Comparisons to the failed bust of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo were inevitable.
Moments after his statue was unveiled, Wade himself said, visibly moved: “This is crazy, I can’t believe it.” Then the 42-year-old pointed to his likeness and asked with a mixture of embarrassment and irritation in his voice: “Who is he?” Guy?” Wade didn’t let that spoil his mood, but seemed visibly moved afterwards.
Wade statue causes malice
The bronze is intended to pay homage to Wade’s iconic “This is my House” pose after a double-overtime win against the Chicago Bulls in 2009. Wade, who won three NBA championships with Miami, is the first player in club history to be honored with a statue.
“As the greatest player in Miami Heat history, today is his day and a day for his family,” team president Riley said at the unveiling. However, it doesn’t seem impossible that the bronze will get some fine-tuning.
