“Kobe Bryant is the greatest player of our era,” Dwyane Wade had said having faced the LA Lakers legend for 13 seasons. Now it would be a shame if he missed the details of Kobe’s gameplay. And boy, he has got even the minutest one of these details registered in his mind to this day. The testament to this notion came to light after the 3x NBA champ recently made a revelation about wanting to suggest some changes in the Kobe Bryant statue.

For those unaware, the same studio that did the Kobe statue has sculpted D-Wade’s as well. And the Miami Heat icon admitted to watching Kobe’s statue as well when he would visit to check his own. “… They had the statue, and he has three of them. And so it was one of them that I looked at, and I was like, ah, ‘it look a little off’. Okay. And I wanted to go over and I wanted to say I guarded that move so many times. The leg was a little higher,” he told Rachel Nichols.

Notably, the LA Lakers have already unveiled two of the three-statue series honoring late legend Kobe Bryant. The first was in commemoration of his No. 8 era, the first 10 seasons of his career. It depicts the 5x NBA champ walking off of the court at Crypto.com Arena — then Staples Center — after scoring 81 points, the second-most in a single game in NBA history to this day.

The second statue touched on something even closer to Bryant’s heart. This one depicted Black Mamba with his daughter Gianna, memorializing the bond they shared as they attended games together. A tribute to the 5x NBA champ’s popular identity as a Girl Dad. So it seems that the statue that Dwyane Wade is referring to is most likely Kobe’s 3rd statue. The release of which has already been in the pipeline.

However, for those eagerly awaiting the final tribute to Kobe’s No. 24 era, there might be a bit of a wait. Originally set for the 2024-25 season, the Lakers may postpone the unveiling of the 3rd statue. At least that’s what Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group reported.

“The Lakers say there are not any plans to unveil a third Kobe Bryant statue during the 2024-25 season,” Price posted on X. The franchise is clearly taking its time with the third one for Bryant.

The artist behind Dwyane Wade’s statue defends his work amid online criticism

The Flash’s new statue should’ve been a slam dunk, right? But instead, it sparked a whole new debate. You’d think fans would be lining up to praise it, yet here they are, doing double-takes and wondering, is that really Wade? Some claim it looks more like Laurence Fishburne, Kelsey Grammer, or Ken Norton Jr.

So, how does the artist behind this head-turning statue feel about the whole thing? Sculptor Omri Amrany isn’t exactly losing sleep over it. With a portfolio of over 300 statues worldwide, including unforgettable pieces like the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant statues at Crypto.com Arena, Amrany’s no stranger to criticism.

“Every time you unveil a sculpture, there are people with different comments,” he told The Times. “It’s natural. Art that doesn’t [evoke] response is the most boring art you can have.” He, however, has a firm belief that no one could’ve done more justice to “this is my house” statue than him. He stated even he could not do better than this and nobody “else can do better…” At the end of the day, Wade is thrilled with the outcome and grateful for what it sums up.