Is it Dwyane Wade or Laurence Fishburne? Artist defends statue: ‘We had the same thing with Kobe No. 8’

Former Miami Heat great Dwyane Wade looks at a bronze statue in his image during its unveiling ceremony Sunday outside Kaseya Center in Miami. (Michael Laughlin / Associated Press)

Dwyane Wade loves his new statue.

“I was just like, ‘Dude, that’s beautiful,'” the Miami Heat legend told reporters Sunday after a 7-foot-3 bronze representation of his image was unveiled outside Kaseya Center in Miami.

“Personally biased, I think it’s one of the best statues that’s been created because of what it represents for us and for me.”

Not everyone agrees.

One of the most iconic moments of Wade’s 16-year career came on March 9, 2009, when he stole the ball and hit the game-winning three-point shot in the final seconds of double-overtime against his hometown Chicago Bulls in Miami. In the immediate aftermath, Wade jumped on the scorers’ table, pointed down at the floor around him and declared, “This is my house!”

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade celebrates after a 130-127 double-overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls on March 9, 2009, at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. (Victor Baldizon / NBAE via Getty Images)

Wade said it was his idea to immortalize that pose with the statue.

“What I feel when it comes to a statue, when it comes to this kind of moment, I feel that it has to be something that when the fans think of you, when they think of your career, when they think of your life … what’s the first thing that comes to mind?” Wade said.

Read more: Good thing that Kobe Bryant is getting three statues. The first one has typos

“And so if you’re a fan of myself, if you’re a fan of the Heat, I’ve had a lot of moments — I think there’s none bigger than that one. You know what I mean, like, ‘This is my house’ moment is the biggest moment of my individual career. And this was an individual moment for me, to pick that.”

The statue, however, doesn’t capture Wade’s likeness to the satisfaction of numerous social media users, who have commented that it looks more like Laurence Fishburne, Kelsey Grammer, Ken Norton Jr. and others.

Fellow Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Paul Pierce noted the statue’s resemblance to his…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dwyane-wade-laurence-fishburne-artist-210455311.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-10-28 21:04:00

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