The Miami Heat made some tweaks to the statue of Dwyane Wade that's stood outside Kaseya Arena since October 2024.
The Heat reached out to the artists who originally sculpted the bronze statue, which was widely panned for its lack of resemblance to the franchise icon.
Two years after its unveiling, the artists decided to rework the statue's head.
"After seeing the work at full scale and in its permanent environment, we identified opportunities to strengthen the portrait," sculptors Omri Amrany and Oscar Leon said in a statement to The Athletic's Eric Nehm.
"We decided that the importance of Dwyane warranted making those refinements rather than accepting something we believed could be improved."
“It may be my likeness, but it will always be our house.” - @DwyaneWade A closer look at the enhancements to his statue. https://t.co/VmcBYsEzDK
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) October 30, 2026
Wade initially said the statue "don't need to look like me." The 13-time All-Star was part of the creative process and stood by the artists' work despite widespread criticism.
The Miami Heat heard the slander and updated the face on Dwyane Wade’s statue 😅 Before vs After https://t.co/iq73S6qchL
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 30, 2026
Upon further reflection, Wade said he recognized the importance of making the statue look more like him.
"I had to ask myself a pretty simple question: If people don't feel that connection when they look at the face, why wouldn't we try to make it better?" Wade wrote in his newsletter.
"So we listened and had honest conversations with everyone involved, and we all agreed to make adjustments to the head."
