Key Takeaways

• The Miami Heat unveiled an updated Dwyane Wade statue after criticism of its likeness.
• Wade said he saw the memes and agreed to revise the statue’s head.
• The statue commemorates Wade’s game-winning shot and “This is my house!” celebration.

Dwyane Wade’s statue outside the Miami Heat’s Kaseya Center, which the team unveiled in his honor just a couple of years ago, has received a much-needed facelift, the franchise announced on Friday (Oct. 30). While the original sculpture inspired countless memes and comments about how it bore almost no resemblance to the NBA Hall of Famer, the new and improved version seems to be going over pretty well with basketball fans — and, most importantly, the three-time champion himself.

“A closer look at the enhancements to his statue,” the Heat’s social media account posted alongside several close-up photos. Judging by the images and Wade’s essay, which came shortly after the news broke, most of the adjustments appear to have been made to his face. In our opinion, it looks much better, and fortunately, the team was able to bring back original sculptor Omri Amrany to make the changes.

According to ESPN, the statue had a “plywood box placed over it to keep the public from seeing what was happening” during the process. Take a look below, then continue scrolling to read Wade’s comments.

Dwyane Wade says he “heard the jokes” and “saw the memes” about his Miami Heat statue

“When my statue was unveiled in Miami, it didn’t take long for the conversation to become about one thing: the face,” the father of four wrote via Substack. “I heard the jokes. I saw the memes. I read the reactions. Everybody had an opinion about whether it actually looked like me.” He went on to admit that it was “hard not to feel protective of it,” given how involved he was in the process.

“Eventually, I had to take a step back and understand that the statue doesn’t belong only to me,” Wade added. Later in his essay, the former basketball player revealed that he “listened and had honest conversations with everyone involved” before they ultimately agreed to make adjustments to the head.

“The process was different this time because we could focus on one specific part instead of recreating the entire statue. I enjoyed the original process, but I also appreciated the simplicity and focus of this one,” Wade recalled. “It gave us a chance to make sure the face better connects with the person and the emotion the statue is meant to represent.”

The story behind Dwyane Wade's statue outside of the Kaseya Center

In case you were wondering, the statue pays tribute to the iconic moment Wade shouted, “This is my house!” after making a game-winning shot against the Chicago Bulls in double overtime. The NBA legend put up a whopping 48 points that night in March 2009, and thanks to the statue’s recent enhancements, fans can finally appreciate the celebration in all its glory. Relive the game below.