The creator of Dwyane Wade's statue breaks his silence after intense criticism

One of the sculptors of Dwyane Wade's new Miami Heat statue said critics may have misunderstood the bronze creation.

Oscar León of Rotblatt Amrany Studio, who designed the statue with Omri Amrany, directly addressed the negative reactions, including many who believe it has nothing to do with the Miami Heat legend.

“For the critics, there's a lot that needs to be understood,” León told NBC News. “We have to seal everything to preserve the integrity of the sculpture. However, this has a fun little side effect because we shine in areas that we are not used to seeing when we look at someone in the flesh.”

“The seal definitely creates a little misunderstanding to the eye. So I would definitely recommend everyone to come to Miami and see it in person.”

Wade's statue, which the Heat unveiled Sunday outside the Kaseya Center, was first made of clay before being covered in bronze.

Wade, who previously said he was instrumental in the statue's creation, chose an iconic moment from his Heat career to commemorate the statue.

It was his triumphant celebration after he hit a one-legged, game-winning three-pointer as time expired in double overtime on March 9, 2009 to break the score at 127-127 against the Bulls.

Wade, who finished with 48 points, six rebounds, 12 assists, four steals and three blocks, jumped on the scoreboard and yelled, “This is my house!” while pointing down with both index fingers.

León told NBC News it started with a collection of photos of Wade that were turned into a clay model, and then computers helped design the statue.

The sculptors also received feedback from Wade's closest friends as well as Miami Heat executives during the months-long design process.

Wade traveled to Chicago several times to meet with the sculptors.

León added that more than 800 hours went into creating the statue – and he spent another 16 hours consulting with Wade.

Fox Sports 1 personality Rachel Nichols said Wade told her that he had the sculptors measure his face after the ratio in the distance between the bottom of his nose and his lip was wrong.

Wade responded after receiving a wave of attention from his statue.

“If I wanted it to look like me, I would just stand in front of the arena and you can all take photos,” he said Monday. “It doesn’t have to look like me. It’s an artistic version of an event that we’re trying to consolidate.”

Wade was the Heat's fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft and won three championships with Miami.

The Hall of Fame guard, whose No. 3 jersey was retired by the Heat in 2020, is the Heat's all-time leader in points, assists, steals and games played.