On October 27, 2024, Miami celebrated one of its finest, unveiling Dwyane Wade’s statue outside the Kaseya Center. The moment, packed with emotion and admiration, didn’t escape the eyes of Carmelo Anthony. Though Melo missed some of the finer details during the ceremony, it didn’t take long for him to catch up—and once he did, he couldn’t resist poking fun at his friend’s statue. But amidst all the trolling, Melo let it slip what he’d want for his own statue.

During a discussion on his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, Carmelo Anthony and his co-hosts dove into Wade’s statue and had a field day with jokes. Yet, when asked what pose Melo would choose for his own hypothetical statue, the answer came without hesitation. “I’m three to the dome. Easy decision,” Melo confidently declared, referring to his iconic three-point celebration.

But where did the “three to the dome” even come from? Turns out, the story has a fun twist. Iman Shumpert, Melo’s former New York Knicks teammate, revealed to The Athletic that the move actually originated with Rasheed Wallace during his stint with the Knicks in the 2012-13 season. According to Shumpert, Wallace had a knack for pulling off unique celebrations, and when an injury sidelined him, Melo casually adopted the move.

“People don’t realize, Melo doing the three-to-the-head, how that started was Rasheed Wallace,” Shumpert shared. “And then Sheed got hurt… So, everybody’s like, ‘yo the Melo three-to-the-head!’And then one day, Sheed came in and joked, ‘Melo, I’m not even gonna charge you for that.’”

Despite its origins, Melo undeniably gave the move a life of its own. Shumpert admitted, “Melo did it, and everybody went crazy—kids, streetballers, everyone. I told ’em to chill because I couldn’t figure out how they didn’t hurt themselves hitting their heads!” Melo’s “three to the dome” became more than a celebration—it became a cultural phenomenon. And now, he’s ready to cement it, quite literally, as his statue-worthy legacy.

Respect and sharp jabs, all from friend Carmelo Anthony for Wade

First on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and later on his podcast, Carmelo Anthony revealed how he missed Dwyane Wade’s statue’s details during the ceremony, but got a closer look later that evening. “So I get back to the hotel, and I get the picture,” he recalled, setting up for what would turn into a hilarious roast.

“They’re like, nah, like, who’s this? Honestly, who is it? I thought somebody was making a joke,” Melo said with a smirk, only to take a jab further. “I was like, nah, this is James Evans. This is JJ’s father, this is JJ’s father right here.” Comparing Wade’s statue to the iconic sitcom dad from Good Times left his co-hosts cracking up.

But Melo didn’t stop there. During Wade’s post-ceremony celebration, he brought up the statue again, asking, “Yo D, how you feel about that?” Wade’s reply was as cool as ever: “I got one.” Melo couldn’t help but respect the response. “I said, damn, you know what? That’s your answer. F**k everybody else. You got one,” he shared on the podcast.

Interestingly, Melo gave props to Wade for staying unbothered by the chatter. “He’s handled it very well. He said, ‘I don’t care what it looks like,’” Melo admitted on The Tonight Show. Of course, he couldn’t resist one last dig, joking, “He loved the process of it and just forgot the outcome.”