Kaavia Wade is following in her dad’s footsteps — at least when it comes to his iconic pose.
Dwyane Wade was honored with a statue outside the Kaseya Center in Miami on Sunday, October 27, to commemorate the 13 years he played as a shooting guard on the NBA’s Miami Heat. After the statue was unveiled, Dwyane, 42, and his family took photos around the statue. (Dwyane also played for the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers before returning to Miami for his final season in 2019.)
At one point, the former NBA star carried Kaavia, 5, over to the podium and put her down. Dressed in an all-pink outfit, Kaavia immediately channeled her dad, putting her arms out pointing down at the ground to make the same pose immortalized by the statue. Dwyane coached his youngest daughter on how to make his face while photos were taken of the sweet moment.
“Cemented in daddy’s legacy,” read the caption of a video shared via Kaavia’s Instagram account on Sunday. “Congratulations daddy.”
Dwyane shares Kaavia with wife Gabrielle Union. He is also the father of Zaire, 22, and Zaya, 17, with ex-wife Siovaughn Funches. He shares 10-year-old son Xavier with Aja Metoyer and is also the legal guardian of 21-year-old nephew Dahveon Morris.
Despite some mixed reactions to the statue online, Dwyane seemed blown away by the support from his former team. The eight-foot bronze figure was made in memory of a March 2009 game when Dwyane scored a three-pointer in double overtime, allowing the Heat to win over the Chicago Bulls. At the time, he jumped up on the scoring table and yelled, “This is my house,” to the crowd.
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During Sunday’s statue celebration, Dwyane repeated the famous line to a different audience.
“To the fans. To Heat Nation. Most importantly, to Wade County. Thank you all for following,” he said. “I believe I gave you guys something set in stone to hold on to. This is my house. I’m out.”
It was a day of celebration for the whole family, as Dwyane continued the celebration with wife Union, 51, on a boat.
“I have no words, really. I don’t know, it’s gonna take a while to process this but I just feel happy. I feel thankful. I feel grateful. I feel blessed,” he said in a video posted via the Heat’s Instagram on Sunday. “I am so appreciative.”
