In what was supposed to be a triumphant season opener at the Kaseya Center, the Miami Heat’s hopes crashed in spectacular fashion. On the opening night, they suffered a crushing 116-97 defeat against the Orlando Magic. The electric atmosphere that filled the arena before tipoff quickly turned somber as fans watched their team struggle in every aspect of the game. For a franchise that has consistently defied expectations, the 19-point loss left the Heat faithful shell-shocked and searching for answers, with much of their frustration directed at their star player, Jimmy Butler. Despite this backlash, the small forward was lucky to get support from a Miami veteran.

Amid the growing storm of criticism, Butler found solace in an unexpected show of support from Heat legend Dwyane Wade. The 6x All-Star took to Instagram, sharing a story featuring himself alongside Wade with a simple yet powerful caption: “Family Ties.” The timing of this post speaks volumes, coming just hours after what could be described as one of Butler’s most disappointing performances in a Heat uniform since 2021.

The numbers tell a brutal story of Butler’s opening night struggles. In 25 minutes of play, the usually reliable forward managed just 3 points with just 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Surprisingly, this performance comes just a few days after coach Pat Riley had shown his confidence in Butler. “What I saw last night and what I hope to see in the future this year is somebody that has a chance to lead us to that place where we can play for it,” said Riley about Butler after the preseason against the Atlanta Hawks.

Butler is coming off a year where he averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per contest while shooting 49.9% from the field and 41.4% from the three-point range in 60 games. But after the not-so-effort-worthy performance during today’s game, fans showed their disappointment with one follower of the Heat commenting, “All that gambling got to him.” and another fan emphasizing on what Pat Riley said. “Pat Riley got to him,” said the fan.

However, it seems like the presence of Dwyane Wade during the game was indeed a gesture that was liked by the small forward. Although there isn’t much detail on why Butler wrote “Family Ties” it can be speculated the 6x All-Star regards him as a family as Wade was a 3x NBA champion and has been the face of the franchise for 16 years. As Miami looks to bounce back from this opening night disaster, the focus will inevitably remain on Butler’s ability to return to his characteristic form.

However, even after such a lousy start, the Heat fans can expect an upcoming energetic night.

Kaseya Center is all set to unveil Dwyane Wade’s statue on Sunday

Just last month, a piece of news from the Miami Heat management made waves in the basketball community. The organization had decided to honor Dwyane Wade with a statue outside the team’s Kaseya Center. The unveiling ceremony will take place on October 27.

Rick Ross and Nino Breeze will give a musical performance during the unveiling. Interestingly, the statue of Dwyane Wade was sculpted by Omri Amrany and Oscar León of Rotblatt Amrany firm, the same firm that created statues of other NBA legends such as Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. On October 28th, the NBA champion will address the audience during halftime of the game against the Orlando Magic. This date is especially significant for the 42-year-old because it marks the exact 21st anniversary of his Heat debut.

He won his last three titles with Miami and was an All-Star for 13 straight seasons, growing to be loved in South Florida where he played for 16 seasons. This isn’t the only time the team is honoring him — they retired his No. 3 jersey back in 2020. With a disappointing start to the season, only time will tell if the statue unveiling will amaze the fans.