In October 2024, Dwyane Wade became the first player in the Miami Heat franchise to receive a statue. But that emotional moment quickly turned to trolling as the eight-foot statue’s face bore almost no resemblance to the team legend. Analysts, fans and even legends Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley roasted the spectacle. But two years later, it’s all fixed now.

D-Wade, at the time, called his statue an “artistic version of a moment that happened.” He was referring to “This is my house,” a pose from 2009 against the Chicago Bulls. The Heat legend hit the shot during the double overtime and then jumped on the announcer’s table, and his celebration became epic. But the depiction of it on the sculpture wasn’t a hit. Now that it is fixed, former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins appreciated the redesign.

“Yeah, that’s how you supposed to do it, man,” the former Celtics champion said on SportsCenter. “You got to get it right. Look, you can see the taper. You can see the line in the beard and everything. I had to take a close look cuz I thought he had his eyelash done on that new statue.”

He joked that the added details looked far more realistic. In fact, Big Perk seemingly sent a message to other teams and sculptors to repair and redesign the flaws. “I’m saying it look good. I’mma tell you this. A lot of other organizations need to, you know what I’m saying? Take note.”

He did not take any names during the conversation. The change in Dwyane Wade’s statue seemingly did not happen. Because the Heat legend was very positively vocal about the design despite criticism. “I was just like, ‘Dude, that’s beautiful,’” Wade told reporters after the original unveiling. “Personally biased, I think it’s one of the best statues that’s been created because of what it represents for us and for me.”

Not just him; Rotblatt-Amrany Studio, the sculptors behind Wade’s statue, shared a similar sentiment. Over the years they had built over 300 bronze sculptures, including the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. But now they have changed tunes.

“After seeing the work at full scale and in its permanent environment, we identified opportunities to strengthen the portrait,” Amrany and Léon said. “We decided that the importance of Dwyane warranted making those refinements rather than accepting something we believed could be improved.”

While the animated face became the point of criticism, the studio previously added important details. The heel of the left and the right shoes featured the names of his mother, Jolinda and his father, Dwyane Sr., respectively. And then the sole of the right shoe is dedicated to his late agent and long-time mentor, Henry “Hank” Thomas.

Despite that, Dwyane Wade knew the face had to be changed, and he accepted the reality. “I had to ask myself a pretty simple question: ‘If people don’t feel that connection when they look at the face, why wouldn’t we try to make it better?’” Wade wrote in an essay published on Friday. “So, we listened and had honest conversations with everyone involved, and we all agreed to make adjustments to the head.”

Two years ago, Dwyane Wade cried; his youngest daughter gave him a tissue. His son gave an emotional speech, and that’s what the ceremony should have been about. But the animated face did favor no one. Ultimately, Dwyane Wade understood what had to be done.

“I hope when people see it now, they see a better likeness of me. But more than that, I hope they see themselves. Because it may be my likeness, but it will always be our house.”

So, the jokes about the statue can all rest now. In fact, Kendrick Perkins’ statement suggests that the studio made more than just amends.