How long can a joke last? Because for Dwyane Wade, it feels endless. What was supposed to be an emotional celebration turned out to be a laughingstock. Wade is the first person in the Heat’s history to receive the honor of a statue. Yet the face card of the bronze statue did not feel similar to the 3x NBA Champion. Not just the fans, but former and current players opined the same. And over the months, the memes and the jokes haven’t stopped. However, The Flash shared a BTS clip where he was in a serious discussion about the statue.

The 43-year-old wished one of his close confidants Happy Birthday. He added multiple stories on Instagram to celebrate Kenny, “In all the moments my brother!”

One of those stories was the conversation about changing the statue’s face during the production process. Dwyane Wade can be seen suggesting that the upper lip could move further up and even the nose position could change. “How long this is, the nose can move.”

His ‘brother’ agreed. “There is no space… It is almost like you are pulling the lip back.” So, once again, the rumors can be put to bed about D-Wade not being involved in the process. Even the sculptors had stated when there was a lot of criticism.

Oscar León was responsible for building the statue and previously explained Dwyane Wade’s reaction during the process. “He walked away very happy. By that last visit, he had basically seen everything he wanted to see. We made all the adjustments he wanted,” via the 7 News Miami. Not only Wade and the sculptor, but even Union has made sure to cast aside any negative comments about the statue’s appearance.

Dwyane Wade and his wife react to the criticism

Former players and close friends like Shaquille O’Neal and Carmelo Anthony too took a jab at the design. But D-Wade and his family have focused on celebrating the monumental occasion. That’s what his wife, Gabrielle Union, conveyed once in her Instagram story. “One thing about @dwyanewade He really isn’t m0ved or motivated by nan negative. Trust me, I’VE TRIED!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.”

Her story had the post from the Miami Heat where Dwyane Wade said, “I care, but I don’t.” In another press conference, he detailed his thought process about the same, “The social media world is about opinions. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone, use y’all opinions. Please talk more about us. Talk more about a statue, come on down to see it, take some photos, send some memes.” The statue now stands as one of the attractions for the Windy City tourists.

Even last month, a Pulitzer Prize-winning senior art critic, called out the sculptors. But it seems, Dwyane Wade and his family are continuing to celebrate the statue, even if it is not a 100% accurate replica of the Heat legend.