Dwyane Wade reflects on positive Pat Riley, Heat relationship before statue reveal

10/25/2024 05:14 PM

It was a special moment when it was announced last season that the Miami Heat would unveil a statue of Dwyane Wade outside of the Kaseya Center as announced by president Pat Riley. After many updates about Wade’s statue, the ceremony will take place Sunday at 5 p.m. (EST) as the Heat icon himself spoke to the Miami Herald before what will no doubt be an emotional event.

He has been heralded as the greatest player to ever don a Heat uniform which has been debated since LeBron James was a member of the organization, but fans are usually of general consensus that Wade is the best in his commitment to the team. Even knowing that a statue will be made of him for a while, Wade is still at a loss of words for how he feels about the honor according to Anthony Chiang.

"I've been trying to think about it ever since I heard that I would have a statue and I don't think any answer I come up with is going to reflect how I will feel," Wade said. "I don't even know if it's going to hit me right away."

Dwyane Wade never thought he would get a statue in time with the Heat

Wade’s statue will he located on the Kaseya Center’s west plaza in the top of the steps leading into the venue as it will be the first of its kind for someone to be commemorated with that type of honor at the location. The Hall of Fame shooting guard would have never thought that a statue outside of the arena would even be in the cards.

"It's something that I never thought or played for or thought I would have," Wade said. "If you asked when I came in, I probably would have said Pat Riley would have the first statue if the Heat is going to have one. So for me to be the first, it continues to show me how much Pat and how much Micky and the Riley family and the Arison family revere me.”

"I think a lot of people like to focus on some of the negatives that went down in our relationship,” Wade continued. “But our relationship was so long and there were so many positives in it."

Wade was a crucial component to the team winning their first championship in 2006 and winning two more in 2012 and 2013 along with making five NBA Finals. He leads the franchise in main categories such as points, games played, minutes played, assists, steals, and is widely regarded as one of the best players at his position.

Dwyane Wade speaks on the ups and downs with Heat

As Wade mentioned briefly about the “negatives” of the relationship with the Heat, this is likely in reference to a contract dispute between the two parties that resulted in the player joining the Chicago Bulls in the 2016-17 season after 13 seasons with Miami. He would also be with James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017-18 season before being traded mid-season back to the Heat in what was a joyous occasion for both sides and the fans.

"2016 didn't change anything about what I accomplished here and what I knew I meant to Miami," Wade said via The Miami Herald. "As I always say, and everybody can identity with this, the Miami Heat is a family. But with family, there are times when you have people in your family when you go through things. You go through moments when you're not talking to each other, you're not communicating, you're not agreeing. But you're going to go through other moments, as well, and we've had so many moments. That was one that played out in front of everyone. But that one moment, for me, will never determine my relationship with anyone. I'm not built like that."

Despite the turbulent times in their relationship, Wade reflects in 2024 as those moments strengthening their bond over the years.

"I actually love the relationship that we have because we have a relationship that has been through good times and we have a relationship that have been through some bad times," Wade said. "But we also show up and we smile and we laugh and we do all the things. That's a full relationship to me, not just the good times."

Dwyane Wade won’t be surprised during Heat statue reveal

This isn’t the only time the team has celebrated the career of someone as the Heat just did that with Riley by naming the court after him this past Wednesday in a ceremony at halftime. An aspect that fans may not expect is that Wade knows what the statue will look like ahead of the unveiling Sunday as he speaks about his involvement with the process.

"I don't play those games, I definitely know," Wade said when asked by the Miami Herald if he knows what the statue looks like. "I wanted to be heavily involved because this is bigger than me, this represents more than just me. But also, I'm very vain. So I want to make sure it looks right."

At any rate, the event will be Sunday where it’s expected that the major figures in Wade’s life will attend including former coaches and players obviously including Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra.

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