With the unveiling of the statue, many felt that the designer of the statue didn’t put their all into it since it looked nothing like him despite pictures of the captured moment hit social media.
Wade explained the statue’s look and the process of creating it on Monday, one day after the Heat unveiled the tribute.
That moment was the end of a game against the Chicago Bulls in March 2009, when he made a shot to win at the buzzer of double overtime, hopped up onto a courtside table and yelled, “This is my house.” The position of his hands in the statue is reminiscent of that moment. But it’s the face that has generated almost all of the feedback.
Wade has fired back at those critics, explaining that the statue wasn’t meant to be an accurate depiction of his face, but rather an “artistic version” akin to a caricature.
Wade also defended the Sculptor Omri Amrany, who collaborated with Oscar Léon on the Wade statue putting in at least 800 hours.
