Tag: Dwyane Wade

The sculptor of Dwyane Wade’s much-mocked statue said that nobody could’ve done a better job

Respect the confidence, actually.

When the Miami Heat unveiled their statue outside Kaseya Center to honor Dwyane Wade, sculptor artist Omri Amrany seemed to know that there would be a mixed reaction.

But hey, at least he’s happy with how the final product turned out.

From the moment of the unveiling, the statue was largely mocked because, well, it looked nothing like Wade. On top of that, Wade’s immediate reaction on stage only added to the awkwardness. It got to the point where fans compared the statue to the since-replaced Cristiano Ronaldo statue in Portugal.

Amid calls for the statue to get replaced with something better, Amrany claimed that nobody could have done a better job than he did.

I mean, you kind of have to respect the confidence, and there’s no denying a lot of work went into the statue. But it simply did not look like Wade.

As for Wade’s awkward reaction, Amrany said that Wade frequently visited the studio and had a say throughout the entire process.

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NBA fans immediately turned Dwyane Wade’s unrecognizable statue into a fantastic meme

Can’t stop laughing.

Sunday had to be quite the day for Dwyane Wade. He was on hand for the Miami Heat to honor him with a statue outside the Kaseya Center, which must have been exciting.

Then, he had to see the statue.

When the Heat unveiled the statue, it was immediately obvious that the final result looked absolutely nothing like the Heat legend. The statue was so bad that it brought back memories of Cristiano Ronaldo’s infamous statue a few years back. Wade knew it as he had to awkwardly pretend to be a fan of the statue in real time.

I mean, look at this thing!

It’s so bad. Like, bad to the point that it defies logic how nobody associated with the project spoke up ahead of time.

But hey, it did lead to some excellent memes, and we’re thankful for that.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

They have to re-do it, right? They must.

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Dwyane Wade had the most awkward reaction to the terrible statue the Heat made for him

We’re wondering the same thing.

By no measure, is it easy to sculpt a lifelike statue. And we’ve seen plenty of times over the years just how awful those efforts can turn out to be.

Well, the Miami Heat have put themselves in Cristiano Ronaldo territory with their statue dedicated to Dwyane Wade.

The Heat had Wade on hand Sunday for an entire ceremony to unveil the statue, which was supposed to immortalize Wade’s “this is my house” celebration. Instead, it turned into the most awkward live reaction we could possibly imagine.

The statue could not look any less like Wade, and the Heat legend knew it.

Wade had to stand up there on stage, trying to act excited about the statue’s final product. He said: “That’s crazy. I can’t believe that — who is that guy?”

We’re wondering the same thing, Dwyane!

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Dwyane Wade sees big things in San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s future

‘You have to watch him play the game to really appreciate it,’ said Wade.

Former Miami Heat champion wing Dwyane Wade has seen the future — and the future is San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama.  After the US National Team won gold against a competitive French National Team, Wade shared some thoughts about Wemby’s Team France and the future of Olympic basketball via Sports Illustrated’s Scott Salomon.

“The game is growing around the world, they (France) will be back in four years,” said Wade. “It is the U.S.’s game, but this is not 1992 anymore. It’s a different day,” Wembanyama in particular caught the former Heatle’s eye in international play in Paris. “The way he shoots. The way he throws down the lob, we are going to see him on this stage for a long time,” said Wade of Wemby’s play for Team France.

“He is the future of the NBA, and he is the future of international basketball,” added the three-time champion boldly. “What your eyes see, your eyes shall believe … You have to watch him play the game to really appreciate it.”

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Kendrick Perkins explains how James Harden’s 2012 Team USA stint led to his trade to Houston

In a new podcast, NBA analyst and former teammate Kendrick Perkins explains how James Harden’s 2012 stint on Team USA laid the groundwork for his trade to Houston.

The October 2012 blockbuster trade that sent James Harden from Oklahoma City to Houston resulted in the Rockets acquiring a player widely viewed as the second best in franchise history (trailing only Hakeem Olajuwon, a two-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer).

On the “Road Trippin’”  podcast, Kendrick Perkins — once Harden’s Thunder teammate and now a league analyst for ESPN — says that historic Harden-to-Houston deal got an assist from high places.

As Perkins recalls, it was Harden’s gold-medal run with the United States men’s national team at the 2012 Olympics that laid the groundwork for his Oklahoma City departure. According to Perkins, it was Harden’s distinguished Team USA teammates — namely, legendary players like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade — who convinced Harden that he was worthy of an expanded role.

Via Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire:

“(Kevin Durant) said, ‘Man, (we’re) about to lose (Harden)’,” Perkins said. “… At the Olympics (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade), all those guys were telling James, ‘Bro, (you’re) too nice to be coming off the bench… You need to have your own team.’”

The full podcast and the Olympics snippet can be viewed below.

A few months later, Oklahoma City’s then-sixth man rejected the team’s contract-extension offer. From there, the fourth-year guard was traded to Houston for a package heavy on cheap, young prospects and draft assets. That deal allowed the Thunder to avoid any risks associated with keeping an unhappy Harden — who could’ve become a restricted free agent a year later — on the roster.

Eight All-Star appearances and a Most Valuable Player (MVP) award later, it’s clear that Houston won that transaction. Then-general manager Daryl Morey was the architect, but it appears that James and Wade may have played a behind-the-scenes role, as well.

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USA Basketball’s thrilling gold medal win had analyst Dwyane Wade unable to sit: ‘My pants are a little tight’

Dwyane Wade was so hyped after Steph Curry’s dagger

Dwyane Wade won a gold medal with the U.S. men’s basketball team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was part of the team that unfathomably took bronze a the 2004 games in Athens.

So you can understand the personal investment he had in the USA-France gold medal matchup on Saturday in Paris before you consider the close relationships he has with a number of the current players on the squad.

That made it understandably difficult for Wade to keep his cool as the color analyst on the NBC broadcast of the game. As Stephen Curry’s lights out shooting down the stretch delivered the United States a fifth consecutive gold, Wade couldn’t even get himself to sit down.

“I apologize,” Wade hilariously said to broadcast partner Noah Eagle as the final seconds ticked away. “I can’t even sit down. My pants a little tight.”

Wade can exhale now — thanks in part to this ridiculous Curry dagger from behind the arc — as the Americans defeated France, 96-87.

Or as Curry said, “Night, night”.

Olympics fans (mostly) enjoyed Dwyane Wade announcing Team USA’s opening group stage win

Dwyane Wade’s Olympics as an announcer have been fantastic so far.

If Dwyane Wade intended to use the Paris Olympics as an announcer for a future NBA job, his plans seem to be going quite well.

A three-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat, Wade is calling men’s basketball games in Paris alongside lead play-by-play man Noah Eagle. The legend’s NBA background and specific knowledge of the players on Team USA have already made him a seamless fit as a color commentator. Wade really shined as the Americans blew out Team Serbia 110-84 in their opening Group C game.

READ MORE: Why is Joel Embiid getting booed at the Olympics?

What stood out most was Wade’s apparent catchphrase referring to players like LeBron James with the pronouns “he-HIM.” Wade’s live analysis of plays was also top-notch, too. No frill, no fluff. He just took in the game and provided the right amount of insight.

However, there are some rough parts around the edges for the still-green broadcaster.

For one, Wade definitely overused the “he-HIM” catchphrase. A more experienced announcer uses it maybe a few times a game, not several times in one half like Wade did. Wade also constantly referenced his “personally” knowing the players on Team USA. We get it. You are friends with LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Back to the game, please.

With that said, these are things Wade can definitely work on with more experience because the overall product he’s delivered thus far at the Olympics has been top-notch. ESPN, NBC, Amazon — take notes for any color commentator openings.

Wade is available. And if he wants the opportunity, he will probably be great.

Fans have enjoyed Wade’s turn as an Olympics announcer so far

Arenas: LeBron James’s big three originally wanted to play for the Knicks

How would things have turned out differently in NBA history had LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh gone to the Knicks in 2010?

When LeBron James joined the Miami Heat in 2010 and took Chris Bosh with him, it shattered the NBA’s landscape in more ways than one.

The Miami trio of James, Bosh and Dwyane Wade were immediately hailed by some as the greatest collection of superstar talent in NBA history. Amidst an unprecedented amount of hype and anticipation, the Heat fell hard in the 2011 NBA Finals, only to claim the next two world championships.

The three luminaries were reportedly planning to team up for a few years in advance. However, according to Gilbert Arenas, they were originally looking to join forces on the New York Knicks.

Unfortunately for them, Knicks owner James Dolan made a fatal mistake that torpedoed the team’s chances of landing the three superstars (h/t Heat Nation).

“When Dwyane Wade, Bosh and LeBron decided to team up, they was not playing in someone city so they can all be fresh,” Arenas said of the trio’s intentions to join forces in New York. “So they were planning on going to New York together. And what happened is because they didn’t tell anyone, Dolan made a mistake by paying Amar’e Stoudemire.

“They didn’t want to play with Amar’e Stoudemire because they had they own goddamn Big 3. So, because New York [expletive] it up, they called Micky [Arison] and say, ‘Hey, Micky. This is what we wanna do. Can you make it happen?’ And then made it work — if you knew what was going on then, you would have known New York dropped the ball because of — they offer Mike Miller all that money because they knew Mike Miller was part of the group. Miami stole him. [Udonis] Haslem rejected his deal once he got wind — took the pay cut, signed last to come back. They were all moving together.”

At the time, the Knicks had been laughingstocks for several years. Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing had left in 2000, and since then, they had made the playoffs twice while failing to get past the first round.

Landing James, Bosh and Wade would’ve instantly restored the Knicks’ credibility and dignity. Instead, they would have to struggle for another decade while fans kept calling for Dolan to sell the team.

Luckily, now New York has a very good team with a real soul and identity that seems to have the beginnings of a potential championship contender. But it could’ve recast the basketball world’s spotlight on itself a while back while allowing James to possibly become the toast of the Big Apple.

Basketball players at the Met Gala through the years: Dwyane Wade, Angel Reese, more

The Met Gala in Manhattan is regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious and glamorous fashion events. NBA and WNBA players and their partners have made their presence felt throughout the years showing their passion for fashion: Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, Carmelo and LaLa Anthony, Stephen and Ayesha Curry, Brittney and Cherelle Griner, Angel Reese, Russell Westbrook, Ben Simmons…

Check out some of the best pics at the Met Gala below.

D’Angelo Russell recreated iconic LeBron James-Dwyane Wade dunk photo

D’Angelo Russell paid tribute to a memorable dunk by LeBron James off an assist from Dwyane Wade that resulted in an iconic photo.

Back in 2010, when LeBron James took his talents to the Miami Heat, he teamed with Dwyane Wade to create one of the better superstar tandems in NBA history. In four seasons together, they reached the NBA Finals four times while winning back-to-back world championships in 2012 and 2013.

Early in their time together, they worked together on a fast break versus the Milwaukee Bucks that resulted in an iconic photo. Wade led the break down the middle, and James filled the lane to the right, got the pass and threw down a thunderous dunk while Wade exulted.

Morry Gash shot the photo that became somewhat timeless.

On Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Philadelphia 76ers, and D’Angelo Russell looked to recreate that photo during an easy score by James.

The Lakers ended up winning an ugly grind-it-out affair 101-94 to improve to 38-32 on the season. While they’re still in ninth place in the Western Conference, the victory gave them a 1 1/2-game cushion over the 10th-place Golden State Warriors.