This Banana Boat Member Is Getting A Statue At The Kaseya Center

One can’t have a discussion about the Miami Heat without bringing up Dwyane Wade. Given the legacy he left behind when he retired in 2019, Wade will forever be embedded in the fabric of their franchise.

Wade had his number three jersey retired by the Heat in 2020 and was part of last year’s 2023 Hall-of-Fame class alongside fellow NBA legends Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker.

Next month, the Heat will go a step further to celebrate Wade’s legacy, this time with a statue outside of the Kaseya Center in Miami, according to a Sept. 12 team social media post .

Fans will have a chance to see the finished product in an unveiling event on Oct. 27 and then the next day, on Oct. 28, prior to the Heat’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons, Miami will hold “Statue Night” at the arena, almost a month into the 2024-25 season.

There have been countless amazing players to come through the Heat organization. Players like Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and even current players like Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have undoubtedly left an impact on the franchise.

No player has come close to leaving behind the impact Wade has left, however, and as such, this fall, he will be the first Heat player ever immortalized in statue form.

Bosh and James are likely the only other two candidates that would be considered for any future statues, but for now, Wade will be the inaugural statue all by himself – which is only fitting given the accolades he accomplished as a player and the championships he brought to the organization.

Looking Back At Wade’s Hall-of-Fame Career

A statue is just an impressive footnote in Wade’s already cemented legacy. For 16 seasons, he carved a niche for himself as one of the better shooting guards to ever play the game, which, for a position group including Michael Jordan, was no easy task.

“Dwyane Wade merely never, ever wanted to be considered anything else other than the best,” Heat President Pat Riley said during Wade’s jersey retirement back in 2020 . “He wanted to be unique, he wanted to separate himself from the pack. He did that, and what he did more than anything else in this city, and for this franchise, and for all of his loyal fans, and for all of you kids out there that one day aspire to be who he is and who he became, is he has left footprints for others to follow.”

Wade won championships with the Heat in 2006, 2012 and 2013. To cap off his run with Miami in 2006, Wade won Finals MVP despite competing in just his third NBA season, all while playing on an otherwise veteran-dominated team with the likes of Mourning, Payton, O’Neal and even Jason Williams.

Throughout his career, Wade also made 13 All-Star rosters, two All-NBA First Teams, three All-NBA Second Teams and three All-NBA Third Teams. Not to mention, he also racked up three All-Defensive Second Team selections, made both the 2003 All-Rookie First Team and the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team and helped lead the United States men’s national basketball team to an Olympic gold medal in 2008.

Other than a season with the Chicago Bulls and half a season with the Cleveland Cavaliers , Wade spent his entire career with the Heat, ultimately becoming a staple in the franchise that selected him the star-studded 2003 NBA Draft .

With a jersey retirement, a Hall-of-Fame induction and a statue come October to his name, it’s hard to imagine a more complete career for an NBA player.

Despite now going on five years removed from his playing days, Wade is still impacting the world of basketball. He has hands in both the NBA’s Utah Jazz and the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, and was also recently a color commentator for Team USA men’s basketball’s run in the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside NBC Sports broadcaster Noah Eagle.

Wade has left a piece of his legacy in virtually every part of the basketball world, and now, every time he comes home to the Kaseya Center, he’ll be greeted by his own statue.

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