Dwyane Wade will become the first Miami player in history to be immortilized outside of Kaseya Center with a statue, team president Pat Riley announced on Sunday.
The Heat brought Wade back to Miami to celebrate his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year.
But little did he know, they had a special surprise for him during halftime of Miami’s 104-87 win over Charlotte.
“When we retired his jersey in February 2020, I said Dwyane was the face of this franchise forever and I meant it,” Riley said. “Dwyane’s legacy is a towering one not only for the Miami Heat but for Miami-Wade County. I can’t think of a better way to honor him than by memorializing that legacy.”
Wade fought back tears as Riley announced a statue will be built in his honor and unveiled in the Fall of this year.
“I didn’t dream of this,” Wade said. “I’m very grateful.”
The Heat legend played 15 seasons for the franchise and holds just about every notable record there, as well as three NBA Championships, a NBA Finals MVP, a NBA All-Star MVP, 13 All-Star selections and the list goes on.
“Goosebumps. I was just like, Whoa. I definitely wasn’t expecting that,” coach Erik Spoelstra said after the announcement. “He shocked Dwyane. I loved seeing Dwyane have that really sincere, really genuine reaction to it, where he was speechless.”
Center big man Bam Adebayo was also stoked about the news his former teammate received.
“It just shows the effect he’s had not only on the organization, but the community as a whole. They call it ‘Wade County’ for a reason and he’ll be stamped in this city forever, and he’ll be one of those people we always talk about.”
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