Zaire Wade gives heartwarming tribute to dad Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat statue announcement with Pat Riley picture
Miami Heat announced that former franchise superstar Dwyane Wade will get his own statue outside the Kaseya Center. Dwayne's son Zaire shared a heartwarming message for the same after the news broke. Sculptors Omri Amrany and Oscar Leon will build the bronze statue of the 3x NBA champion, to be unveiled this fall.
Taking to Instagram, 21-year-old Zaire shared an image of his father getting drafted by the Heat (with Heat president Pat Riley present in it) and captioned it:
Pops gotta statue outside of the place But I’m still chasin’ & runnin’ my race. #pradayou
Here's the post:
Dwyane Wade was the 2006 NBA Finals' MVP. Overall, he won three titles with the Miami Heat, spending 15 of his 16 years in the league with the franchise. He leads the franchise records for points, assists, steals, games, and minutes played. While much about the statue was kept under wraps, one specific detail was that it would be eight feet tall and would sit on Biscayne Boulevard.
Pat Riley shares wholesome message for Dwyane Wade's statue
Soon after Dwayne Wade's jersey was retired in 2020, Heat President Pat Riley called the guard as the "face of the franchise." During the statue announcement, he reiterate the comment.
"When we retired his jersey in February 2020, I said Dwyane was the face of this franchise forever and I meant it. Dwyane Wade'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."
On his part, Wade was a picture of emotion, saying:
"I'm not really the person who gets lost for words. I've got too many words actually. I didn't dream of this, though. I'm just so grateful. I'm very grateful. ... I can't wait for families to be able to experience what that's gonna be like from all around the world, to come and have a moment of the culture that will be out front. I can't wait until that day, man, so I'm excited."
Preliminary plans for Wade's statue were announced during the team's comprehensive 104-87 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, January 14. At halftime, during a Hall of Fame celebration ceremony for the guard, Riley revealed the news and was met with deafening applause from fans.
Dwyane Wade averaged 22.7 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 948 games for the Heat in his career. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in August 2023.