Artist Behind Dwyane Wade Statue Defends Likeness Of Hit Legend Amid Criticism

The new Dwyane Wade statue outside the Kaseya Center is getting a lot of attention with the basketball icon's facial appearance.

Soon after its unveiling on Sunday, critics took to social media to express their disdain for the statue.

On Monday, NBC 6 asked viewers how they felt about the statue, seeing it in person. Reviews were mixed.

“The first thing that came to mind was, this kind of looks like Laurence Fishburne, not like Dwyane Wade,” Todd Marius said.

Another visitor commented on the statue's teeth.

The statue says “This is my house!” its counterpart. Game winning celebration in March 2009. Wade told reporters that it was one of the most memorable moments of his career when he faced his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls.

“I feel good about it,” he said. “I chose it because I wanted to make sure that when every fan sees it, they remember my career and I think it's the sum of my career and this building.”

Oscar Leon, one of the artists behind the sculpture, said the idea started with a collection of photos of Wade that became a clay model. Computers then help artists design statues.

Leon said they got input from Wade's closest friends and Miami Heat executives before signing the statue.

“To critics, there's a lot to understand,” says Leon. “We have to stop everything to maintain the integrity of the sculpture. However, it creates a funny little side effect of glossing over areas that we're not used to seeing when we see someone in the flesh.”

Leon says the sculpture took more than 800 hours to create. Spent sixteen hours with Wade.

“The sealer definitely creates a bit of misunderstanding to the eye. So, I would definitely encourage everyone to come to Miami and see it in person,” Leone said.

Some fans who showed up in person Monday agreed.

“I am happy about it because we all know who he is,” Luqman Shaheed said. “He's Dwyane Wade…he left his legacy here and now all the people and fans can come and take pictures and spend some moments with him.”