Dwyane Wade Statue

About

Dwyane Wade Statue refers to a bronze statue of retired star basketball player Dwyane Wade unveiled by the NBA's Miami Heat. The statue was widely mocked online due to what many felt was its poor likeness of Wade, similar to 2017's Cristiano Ronaldo Bust. In the hours after the statue was unveiled, it was widely parodied with comparisons and Photoshop edits as it became an exploitable meme online.

Origin

On October 27th, 2024, the Miami Heat unveiled a statue of retired star Heat player Dwyane Wade.^[1] At the ceremony after the statue was revealed, Wade addressed the crowd, notably saying, "That’s crazy. I can’t believe it … Who is that guy?"

The statue is said to be inspired by a moment from Wade's career when he hit a game-winning shot against the Chicago Bulls.^[2]

Spread

The bronze statue was instantly mocked online due to the perceived poor likeness to Dwyane Wade. On October 27th, 2024, Twitter / X user @hmfaigen^[3] posted a parody that edited the statue's head on Wade in the iconic Wade-Lebron Dunk Picture, gaining over 11,000 retweets and 91,000 likes in less than one day.

The same day, Twitter user @PalmerDesigns_^[4] posted an edit putting the statue's head on Wade in a wedding photo, gaining over 2,700 retweets and 21,000 likes in the same timeframe.

The statue was also widely joked about on Reddit in late October 2024. On October 28th, Redditor UlteriorKnowsIt posted a joke to the subreddit /r/blursedimages,^[5] saying that the statue looked like Wade was frozen in carbonite (referencing Han Solo in Star Wars), gaining over 260 upvotes in three hours.

Also on October 28th, 2024, Redditor ClashGuy54 posted a joke in /r/NBATalk^[6] joking that the statue looked closer to actor Laurence Fishburne, gaining over 660 points in less than 12 hours.

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