Dwyane Wade says he’s seen all of the jokes and memes about his viral statue, but in a recent interview the former Miami Heat star let it be known that he doesn’t care.
On Monday, Wade addressed the unveiling of his new statue located outside the team’s arena in South Florida. The statue received a wave of criticism and humor from fans, as many felt it didn’t look like him when it was revealed on Sunday. “I care, but I don’t,” Wade said, via The Associated Press. “The social media world is about opinions. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone, use y’all opinions. Please talk more about us. Talk more about a statue, come on down to see it, take some photos, send some memes. We don’t care.”
He continued, “If I wanted it to look like me, I’d just stand outside the arena and y’all can take photos,” he said. “It don’t need to look like me. It’s the artistic version of a moment that happened that we’re trying to cement.”
While he was quick to stand up for the artists behind his statue, he understands that they simply need to take it in stride, laugh off the backlash, and continue forward.
“I don’t know a lot of people with a statue. Do you?” he said. “Anybody here, y’all know anything about the process of a statue? No one out there do neither. And so, it’s an unbelievable process to be a part of. And it’s a complicated process.”
Wade played an active role in the development of the statue, which took nearly 800 hours to finish. The design captures a pivotal moment from a 2009 game against the Chicago Bulls, where Wade sank a buzzer-beater, securing a thrilling victory for the Heat in double overtime.
Will Manso, the sports director of WPLG Local 10 News, said the statue looked better up close and in person. “In the end Dwyane is happy and that’s all that matters. He had four trips with the sculptors to get the right pose and look. He said it’s beautiful,” Manso wrote on X.
Fans have been disappointed with poorly made statues of their favorite stars before. In 2017, a bronze bust of soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo confused many because it didn’t look like him. Earlier this year, a statue of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was criticized for not resembling him and for having spelling mistakes on the base.
A similar situation happened in 2009 when a statue of Lucille Ball was unveiled in her hometown of Celoron, New York. Locals called it “Scary Lucy.” After it became popular on social media, the statue was replaced by a new one from a different artist in 2016.