Gilbert Arenas is not ready to believe Dwyane Wade gave his approval for the statue outside Kaseya Center. Considering the criticism from fans and the actual dissimilarity between The Flash and the statue, Arenas’ assumption makes sense. But the ex-Warriors star went a step further to make another wild and hilarious assumption about the mind behind the statue’s design.

During the discussion on Gil’s Arena, the 3x All Star had nothing but mostly judgment for the statue but no disrespect to D-Wade. “You got the Dwayne Wade jersey on with Thanos chin…” Arenas poked fun at the D-statue. “He didn’t approve of that. He probably said in the beginning of it when he had the jersey. Ain’t no damn way he seen the face part.” The former Warriors star believes Wade’s involvement was limited to the pose of the statue and most other parts but the head.

Gil refuses to believe that The Flash would’ve agreed that’s him. “How do you look at that and say… ‘That’s perfect. We going with this’… And then let’s invite all the family and friends and ask them,” Gil added. The former NBA star, however, understands the importance of a player having his own statue. He highlighted how this ambition in most NBA stars’ minds was inculcated by none other than Michael Jordan.

“But the problem is you can’t let the ex-wife design the face… The only way it looked like that is the ex-wife is like ‘Yeah, yeah… Give him that chin. Put his eyes this way. Put his mouth open… That’s what he gonna look like when he see this sh*t,'” Gil hilariously added to his opinion.

It is worth mentioning that Arenas was among the first ones to guess the pose for Dwyane Wad’s statue. And a majority section of the fans wanted the pose that they’ve received. But ever since the unveiling, there has been nothing but criticism. The netizens have compared the statue with names like Laurence Fishburne and Kelsey Grammer.

The artist behind the work, Sculptor Omri Amrany, has, however, defended his piece. While he stated no art is true art if it does not get people get talking. Another statement from him was that he “couldn’t do better” and neither could’ve anyone else. But what does the Miami Heat icon himself think of his statue?

Dwyane Wade’s defense for his statue outside Kaseya Center

The internet didn’t hold back once “this is my house” statue was unveiled on Sunday. While some fans said it didn’t quite capture Wade’s look, others went all out with jokes and memes. But D-Wade himself, not even fazed. “I get that people have their opinions,” he shared during a press conference when he asked if he came across any memes. “If the statue gets people talking, taking photos, and sharing it around, I’m all for it!”

And in complete honesty, he’s the perfect Heat player to be honored this way. Wade isn’t just Miami’s all-time leading scorer; he’s also led the team to three NBA titles. And the statue itself captures a specific moment in Heat history–his buzzer-beater against the Chicago Bulls in 2009 that had Miami fans going wild. So, if you’re looking for a perfect snapshot of Wade’s impact on the team, this is it.

And if you’re curious about how involved Wade was in the statue’s design? He didn’t just sit back and let others handle it—he was right there for assessment and feedback, as revealed by him in multiple interviews. As far as the statue, still not capturing his likeness, is concerned, he put it perfectly. “If you wanted it to look exactly like me, I could just stand outside the arena!” 

And Dwyane Wade further left us with —“How many people even know what goes into making a statue?”