When he retired in 2019, Dwyane Wade was stamped as not only one of the greatest players in Miami Heat history, but one of the best guards the NBA had ever seen.

The three-time champion played 16 seasons in the league. While he did spend one and a half seasons between the Cavaliers and Bulls, Wade will forever be remembered as a strong two-way guard with the Heat, which is part of the reason the team chose to present him with one of the highest honors possible.

The Heat built a statue of Wade outside of their home arena, Kaseya Center, which has now been unveiled as the 2024 NBA season is picking up. However, after it was revealed, the face of the statue drew heavy criticism — even from Wade himself —for looking nothing like him.

Here's everything to know about Wade's new statue in Miami, including why the team had a ceremony honoring him, what Wade said about the statue and some of the top reactions to the statue reveal.

Dwyane Wade Heat statue, explained

Despite being founded in 1988, the Heat had never previously put up a statue for any former player or coach. However, the team announced last season that it would be constructing a statue of Wade outside Kaseya Center, continuing to solidify his Heat legacy after they retired his iconic No. 3.

After months of anticipation, the ceremony set to celebrate Wade's legacy with Miami and unveil his statue, the first in franchise history, came on Sunday.

Before the unveiling, Wade recently expressed his excitement to have the statue in a story with the Miami Herald.

“I’ve been trying to think about it ever since I heard that I would have a statue and I don’t think any answer I come up with is going to reflect how I will feel,” Wade told the Miami Herald. “I don’t even know if it’s going to hit me right away.”

Wade spent 14 full seasons, and a chunk of the 2017-18 season, with the Heat. He helped lead the franchise to championships in 2006, 2012, and 2013, and he was also a 13-time NBA All-Star. Miami honored Wade's undeniable impact on the history of the team with his new statue.

What did Dwyane Wade say about his Heat statue?

Before any fans had the chance to comment on the statue's interesting appearance, Wade himself poked a little fun at the differences between his appearance vs. the statue's.

While taking the mic at the ceremony, Wade cracked a joke about the statue.