Sculptor of Wade statue: I don't think anyone could've done better
The sculptors behind Dwyane Wade's new statue are standing by their work.
Artist Omri Amrany, who co-designed the statue with Oscar Leon, brushed off the criticism his work has received in an interview with Will Manso of WPLG Local 10 News.
"I couldn't do better than that. I don't think anybody else can do better than that," Amrany said. "It is what it is, and we will love it forever."
The bronze statue, which immortalizes Wade's legendary "this is my house" celebration after a game-winner against the Chicago Bulls in 2009, was unveiled Sunday by the Miami Heat outside Kaseya Center. It quickly went viral, with many on social media saying it looked nothing like the Hall of Famer.
Amrany told Front Office Sports' A.J. Perez that Wade made multiple visits to his studio in Chicago and was closely involved throughout the process.
"He knew exactly what he wanted," Amrany said. "He was very happy with the piece. He was joking when he turned around and said, 'Who is this guy?' (during the unveiling). It was like, 'How did I get here where somebody made a sculpture for me?'
"Some people took it like he didn’t recognize his own sculpture, which is completely the opposite. It was just an expression. Sometimes people take the expression literally instead of trying to understand the depth of it."
Wade is the first player in Heat history to be honored with a statue.