Ever since Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade’s statue was revealed to the public last month, plenty of folks have criticized the statue’s appearance.
Former Democratic candidate for vice president of the United States Tim Walz called it “pretty horrific,” and Charles Barkley said “they gotta take that thing down.”
But Wade’s son Zaire told TMZ Sports that all the hate his father’s statue is garnering is making it even more popular.
“The jokes is good because it would give. I think it would draw more poeple to it in person,” said the younger Wade. “… Myself I like it. Can’t complain. Not many people have one so.”
He also said that they are all fond of the bronze statue immortalizing the elder Wade and his accomplishments with the Heat organization.
The younger Wade is trying to become the second player in his family to play in the best basketball league in the world.
At 22 years old, he already has professional basketball experience under his belt. He logged 12 regular-season games with the G League’s Salt Lake City Stars — who selected him with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2021 G League draft — in the 2021-22 campaign, and he last played for Basketball Africa League’s Cape Town Tigers.
He also declared for the most recent G League draft, which was held on Oct. 26, but he didn’t hear his name called.
The elder Wade helped establish the Heat’s reputation as a successful and respected organization during his playing days. When he joined the Heat after being selected with one of the top picks in the 2003 NBA Draft, Miami had yet to win a title or even play in an NBA Finals for that matter.
Fast forward to the current day, and the Heat have three titles and several appearances in the championship series under their belt. The elder Wade also just so happened to be playing for the team during all three of its title years in 2006, 2012 and 2013.
Fans of the Heat should be happy to hear that all of the criticism that the elder Wade’s statue has received hasn’t stopped his family from loving the piece of art.