Wade’s impact on Miami made it inevitable that he would get a statue.
It was a night of celebration for the Miami Heat on Sunday as they not only defeated the Charlotte Hornets but also honored Dwyane Wade, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame last year. At halftime, Pat Riley surprised Wade by announcing that they would build an eight-foot-tall statue of him outside the Cassia Center.
Looking back, every time Wade had a great moment on the court with the Heat, he said, “This is my home!” But now, he has even more reasons to say that. Speaking to the media at halftime, he compared the feeling to Michael Jordan getting a statue during his legendary years with the Chicago Bulls.
“I do feel like it gives me more ability to say this is my house,” Wade said. “It’s not something I dreamed about. But it’s something I’ve known since I was little. You know, there’s a statue of Michael Jordan in Chicago. That was the first statue I’d ever seen. So to be able to be at this point in my life , I know I felt the same way when Jordan had his statue.”
The man who made the Jordan statue is making a Wade statue for the Heat
So it makes sense for Wade to compare him to Jordan, since he’s from Chicago, Illinois and grew up watching Jordan with the Bulls. Interestingly, according to Ira Windman of the Sun-Sentinel, the same person who made the statue of Jordan will be making the statue of Wade, as well as Omri Amrany of Rotblatt Amrany Art Studio ( Omri Amrany and Oscar León said in a statement.
“We are honored and excited to capture the essence of Dwyane Wade,” the statement said. “For the athlete to be immortalized, and for us as artists to create a statue that celebrates a lifetime of excellence, It’s all an honor. This has been our dream for years and now, it’s a reality!”
Erik Spoelstra reacts to news of Wade getting statue
Reactions from Heat players and coaches ranged from excited to excited, showing just how much of an impact Wade had on people during his tenure. So, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra told ClutchPoints after the win over the Hornets: He got goosebumps When the announcement is made.
“Pat (Riley) had it in his pocket. Pat was the Godfather for a lot of reasons. I was standing right next to Caron (Butler). He had the same reaction as me. Just goosebumps, and I was like” Wow, I definitely didn’t expect that. “You know, he came out with the bobblehead and he didn’t know where he was going. I took the microphone off,” Spoelstra said. “I shocked all of us, I shocked Dwayne (Wade). I loved seeing Dwayne have a very genuine, genuine reaction to it and he was speechless. It was really cool. That’s why Dwayne is Dwayne, that’s why Pat is Pat. That’s the way it should be. It’s just one night, but next year the statue will be there. “That’s really cool. “
Ask Miami Heat HC Erik Spoelstra about Dwyane Wade (@dwyane wade) got a statue and he lit up the room as he recounted his and everyone’s reactions.
“Pat had it in his pocket… Pat was the godfather for a million reasons…” #HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/oSrG5BCgOa
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 15, 2024