The recently unveiled statue of Dwyane Wade outside the Miami Heat’s arena has sparked unexpected reactions in the sports world.
The monument, unveiled on October 27, is intended to commemorate Wade’s iconic “This is my home!” To make immortal. Celebrating the 2009 game against the Chicago Bulls.
However, social media quickly began to point out fans’ resemblance to actor Laurence Fishburne rather than the Heat legend.
The statue’s notoriety reached new heights during Friday night’s Ivy League showdown between Columbia and Yale.
In a creative effort to oust Yale kicker Nick Conforti, the Columbia Lions displayed the controversial Wade statue on their Jumbotron, which was strategically located behind the goalposts.
The psychological warfare came at a critical moment, when Yale led 6–3 and was preparing for an extra point attempt before halftime.
Columbia is trying to distract Yale kicker with Dwyane Wade statue pic.twitter.com/F2BFqqNgPf
– Ben Volin (@benvolin) 2 November 2024
Despite Colombia’s innovative distraction tactics, Conforti successfully converted the kick.
However, the Lions secured a 13–10 victory over their long-time rivals.
This matchup holds significant history, with Yale dominating the series 72–22–2 and carrying a four-game winning streak into Friday’s contest.
While such acts of rivalry may be par for the course in college football, Wade probably never imagined that his memorial statue would become fodder for mind games on the field.
The transformation of the statue into a comedic talking point this week — Columbia’s creative use being the latest example — certainly wasn’t part of the Heat’s tribute playbook.
next:
Report: Warriors to pursue Heat star in offseason