This time it’s Dwyane Wade’s turn for Heat honor, with statue unveiling on Sunday

CHARLOTTE — One thing the Miami Heat can never be accused of is passing up the opportunity for a celebration. So Sunday, four days after the team dedicated its court to Pat Riley, the Heat will pay homage to Dwyane Wade with a statue unveiling in front of Kaseya Center.

Having made the announcement last season of the first such tribute for a player in the franchise’s 37 seasons, Wade will be honored at the front steps of the arena in a 5 p.m. ceremony that also will be streamed on the Heat’s YouTube channel.

The honor will continue at halftime of Monday’s home game against the Detroit Pistons, 21 years to the date of when Wade made his NBA debut with 18 points in a road loss to Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Heat roster is scheduled to attend Sunday’s outdoor event .

“All I know is for as much as he’s done for this organization and for this city and for the game of basketball, he’s beloved by everybody,” Heat forward Jimmy Butler said.

“I think his influence on me is bigger than basketball, much bigger than the Miami Heat. I talked to him about being a man, a father, all that good stuff.”

The personal touch, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, is what makes such events special, having also spent time with Wade at the Paris Olympics this summer, when Spoelstra was a Team USA assistant on the roster that featured Heat center Bam Adebayo, and Wade, 42, was a broadcaster for NBC.

“I’m really looking forward to it. I can’t wait to see what it looks like,” Spoelstra said of the event that requires a ticket for attendance. “And it’s always great to reconnect with Dwyane. And we had an amazing summer, Bam and I spending time with him in France, having those full-circle moments. Yeah, I’m looking forward to Sunday.”

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Sunday’s ceremony also is scheduled to include performances by Rick Ross and Nino Breeze.

It will be the second Heat celebration of Wade in this year, having announced plans for the statue last January, when Wade was honored at Kaseya Center for his 2023 induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Upon learning of the plans for the bronze tribute to his Heat legacy, Wade. a Chicago native, said at the time, “It’s not something I dreamed of, but it’s something I definitely grew up knowing about. Michael Jordan had a statue in Chicago. That was the first statue I’ve ever seen. So to be able to be at this point in my life where I know that the same feeling I had when Jordan had his statue is the same feeling that young kids will have coming, getting an opportunity to visit mine, families will have, being able to create memories and moments.”

The statue to be unveiled was sculpted by Omri Amrany and Oscar León of Fine Art Studio Rotblatt Amrany. The two are the same pair who sculpted the Jordan statue at Chicago’s United Center. They also designed the statue of Dirk Nowitzki for the Dallas Mavericks and crafted pieces of Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar that sit outside of the Los Angeles Lakers’ arena.

Wade already has his No. 3 in the rafters at Kaseya Center, with acknowledgment of his Hall of Fame presence attached. Wade also has a banner in the arena rafter for his gold medal with Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Group chat

Ahead of Saturday night’s first game back in Charlotte since last January’s trade, Heat guard Terry Rozier said at the morning shootaround at Spectrum Center that he has remained particularly close with former Hornets teammates LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges.

“I’m always keeping up with them,” Rozier said. “I’m always talking to ‘Melo and Miles all the time. We’ve got a group chat. They’re my guys.”

Of Rozier’s return, Spoelstra said, “I know this place has meant a lot to him.” …

Spoelstra said after the shootaround he has been heartened by the progress of guard Josh Richardson, who is dealing with a heel issue after having missed the preseason recovering from last season’s shoulder surgery.

“Making progress,” Spoelstra said. “So I’m encouraged by it. I know he is, as well. Don’t have a specific date, but he’s practicing and he’s doing everything right now.”