NBA fans savage Dwayne Wade statue after Miami Heat unveiling: 'Shame on whoever greenlit this'

Dwyane Wade became nan first Miami Heat subordinate pinch a statue extracurricular nan team's arena complete nan weekend. 

The Heat unveiled nan statue Sunday, astir 8 months aft squad president Pat Riley announced plans for nan tribute. 

Wade is Miami's all-time starring scorer, and he and Udonis Haslem are nan only players to person been connected each 3 Heat teams that won NBA championships.

'This is crazy,' Wade said moments aft nan unveiling. 'I wanted to consciousness this. Life goes by truthful accelerated and it's very uncommon that we get to consciousness things, because we're ever disconnected to nan adjacent thing. ... I wanted to consciousness this, man. I wanted to look astatine it.'

However, NBA fans claimed location was 1 problem pinch nan statue: It looked thing for illustration nan icon. 

As photos of nan statue went viral connected societal media, fans were speedy to mock nan unveiling, swiftly turning it into caller meme fodder. 

'Miami Heat did Dwyane Wade dirty,' 1 instrumentality claimed connected X, formerly known arsenic Twitter, while different agreed, posting: 'Dwayne Wade’s statue is immoderate NASTY WORK.'

'Shame connected whoever greenlit this—it doesn’t moreover look for illustration Dwyane Wade. Y’all could’ve done better. This looks for illustration a statue consecutive disconnected Temu,' a 3rd wrote, referencing nan Chinese online shopping site.

Another echoed nan bewilderment, saying: 'Honestly though, how’d that D Wade statue get cleared? When Dwayne Wade said “who is that guy” portion of him had to beryllium thinking, that’s really nan champion y’all could do.' 

'The dwayne wade statue looks for illustration hes riding a invisible motorcycle,' 1 joked, while different quipped, 'Damn, nan Heat did Wade dirty. Gave him nan Cristiano Ronaldo treatment,' referencing nan viral statue of nan Portuguese shot star. 

'This statue is truthful bad it’s making maine hide what Dwayne Wade really looks like. The longer I look, nan harder it is for maine to image his existent face,' 1 societal media personification shared.

'Dwayne Wade trying to fig retired who this statue is,' different joked alongside a photograph of nan erstwhile constituent defender looking up astatine nan statue.     

An in-game ceremony will travel Monday erstwhile Miami plays big to Detroit connected nan 21st day of Wade's debut crippled pinch nan franchise.

Wade, a personnel of nan Basketball Hall of Fame, is 1 of six erstwhile Heat players to person their number retired by nan squad - on pinch Haslem, Chris Bosh, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning.

'As nan top subordinate ever successful Miami Heat history, yes, it's his day, it's his family's day,' Riley said.

The statue is accompanied by a wall listing Wade's profession accomplishments and has been placed extracurricular nan beforehand doors of nan team's arena. Wade is now a part-owner of nan Utah Jazz successful summation to having galore different business interests.