Following Sunday’s unveiling of the brand new Dwyane Wade statue erected outside the Kaseya Center, the conversation became so loud that an artist involved within the tribute joined the chat.

Many people have seen photos and videos of the eight-foot-tall bronze statue, modeled after the NBA Hall of Famer’s legendary song “This is my house!” celebrating victory during a match in March 2009, they criticized it for having little resemblance to the theme. Commenters online even criticized the statue created by artists working at Amrana’s Studio Rotblatt for not depicting the very same shirt Wade wore in that iconic moment.

It didn’t help that Wade was quoted by the media, including: CNNsaying, “This is crazy. I can not imagine it. Who is that this guy? throughout the unveiling. The same was not the case with the video clip of him and his son Zaire exchanging sidelong glances. However, neither this statement nor the apparent side glances turned out to be intentionally shady.

While many online viewers were outraged, the artist involved, in addition to others who’ve seen the statue in person, agree that much of the statue’s essence could also be missed within the photo.

– said the artist Oscar Leon involved within the case NBC News“According to critics, there are many things that need to be understood.”

The artist continued: “We need to seal all the things to maintain the integrity of the sculpture. However, this causes a funny side effect of shine in areas we’re not used to seeing once we take a look at someone in person.

Leon refers to the method by which a protective finish is applied to statues or sculptures to make them durable against the weather.

“The sealant definitely causes, um, a bit of confusion to the eye. So I definitely encourage everyone to come to Miami and see it for themselves,” he explained.

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In comments to the media on Monday, Wade said he was aware of the growing backlash. He also agreed that many individuals may not understand the method.

“I do not know many individuals with a statue. Do you understand anyone? Do you all here know anything in regards to the technique of making a statue? Wade asked the media on Monday: Illustrated sports reported. – Nobody does it there either. To be a part of this incredible and sophisticated process.

Leon told NBC News that the sculpture took greater than 800 hours to produce, 16 of which were spent with Wade. The artists received final approval from Wade’s closest friends and Miami Heat management. In posts to his Instagram Stories, Wade revealed more details in regards to the behind-the-scenes process, including photos of him posing with a version of the statue’s face.

The Miami Heat star selected each the famous moment the sculpture commemorates and the studio where it was made. Wade selected Studio Rotblatt Amrany due to their achievements in immortalizing a number of the NBA’s biggest legendsincluding Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. He can be satisfied with the ultimate product.

“If I want it to look like me, I’ll just stand in front of the arena and you guys just take pictures,” he said, according to Sports Illustrated. “It doesn’t have to appear to be me. It’s a creative version of a moment that happened.”

However, Wade admitted that he was amused by the jokes.

“I appreciate all the comments you all have,” he said, adding: “I’m in on the joke. I’m laughing all the time.”

When Washington Wizards fans show up at Capital One Arena this season, watch the team’s broadcasts on TV, and even follow the series on social media, they may hear the unfamiliar voice of one in every of the team’s players.

Forward Marvin Bagley III, who was traded to the Wizards in January after spending the primary 6 1/2 seasons of his profession with the Sacramento Kings and Detroit Pistons, shall be heard across all media outlets as a participant within the Wizards’ local music initiative, and the community shall be introduced to his hip-hop alter ego MB3FIVE . The Wizards launched the Wizards DMV music portal in August 2023 to highlight music artists from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. From tons of of entries last season, several were chosen whose music – from hip-hop to Afrobeats to local go-go favorites – was used during team broadcasts, in-arena gameplay, social videos and team events. The press release states that in lieu of monetary payment, artists “compensate for experiences, merchandise, tickets and exposure.”

Over the summer, the Wizards content team approached Bagley about participating on this season’s portal after reading about his musical past on a neighborhood news station. They believed that his music best captured the essence of what he wanted the portal to be.

“It’s just powerful music,” said Bernard Palin, senior director of digital media at Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “I feel it has an incredible sound. I really like this atmosphere, I really like this energy. I really like the story he tells. And I really like that it is so authentic.

“Honestly, using his music was just a no-brainer.”

Bagley, who averaged 13.3 points and eight.1 rebounds in 24 games for the Wizards last season, was a straightforward sell after participating.

“I was just excited to do it, show my passion, showcase my songs and music,” he said.

The Tempe, Arizona native said he has been writing and rapping because the age of 5, spending countless days sitting within the backseat of his father’s automobile listening to The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z and Rakim. He first recorded in a studio when he was in highschool and released his debut album in August 2019, just a little over a 12 months after the Kings were chosen second overall within the 2018 draft.

Bagley said that each one the teams he played for prior to now – the Kings, Pistons and Duke University – supported his concentrate on music during breaks in the sport, and that the Wizards did an incredible job of allowing him to truly be himself, especially through the portal.

“Obviously I’m here to compete, play basketball and play at the highest level and do everything I can for the team,” Bagley said. “But I think they did a great job of understanding that basketball doesn’t last forever and doesn’t define who I am.”

After 4 albums and three EPs, including a six-song EP released in August, Bagley believes he’s finally able to express his true self in his music. In the past, he felt he had to hold back his art because he was nervous about what the audience, the band, or his teammates would consider him. His early work included typical start-from-scratch raps (“Can’t Relate”) and fame-costing raps (“Cut the Check”). He called this era a “failure.”

Two or three years ago he asked himself whether he was giving every part he had to his music. During the pandemic, he witnessed others suffer losses, and years ago, he was still coping with the death of a young cousin in a automobile accident.

he still had the rap flex, but delved deeper into relationships, from misfortune (“Patience II”) to admiration (“Proud”) to love (“Peace”). He used to avoid swearing and using vulgar lyrics, but there are several such cases in his newer work.

“You see a lot of things that go on in this world, and you get a different perspective just from looking,” Bagley said, “and that’s where my perspective comes from.”

Time on this earth is brief, Bagley told himself, and if music is for self-expression, why hold back. Why inhibit your creative development by fear of opening up to yourself and the opinions of others? It was enlightening – to do away with doubts, do away with fear of the unknown and just speak from the guts. It made him feel fuller.

“I’ve always been true to myself, but when I decided to just say, ‘You know what, I’m going to do what makes me happy, I’m going to tell my story, I’m going to say what I want to say, how I feel and just really, fully be myself ” – I feel that is when the switch flipped and I could just make music that I feel comfortable with, whether people prefer it or not “I don’t like it, I don’t agree with it, or whatever it is,” Bagley said. “It doesn’t bother me anymore.”

And music shouldn’t be a distraction. Athletes are greater than only a career and wish moments to calm down and take a break from work. For some playing the Call of Duty video game, for (many) others recording a podcast. Bagley shouldn’t be the primary basketball player to rap: Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Flau’jae Johnson, Damian Lillard and others.

Bagley’s musical interests will not be an issue. Then-Kings CEO Vlade Divac told Andscape in 2018 that he “loves it when players discover themselves.” Wizards teammate Jordan Poole unprompted told reporters last week that he “loves playing with Marvin” and “listen to his album on Apple Music and Spotify.”

Bagley said he has combined basketball and music for thus long that combining the 2 is second nature to him. He recorded in highschool while being the No. 1 player in his class, ahead of future NBA star Jaren Jackson Jr. and Trae Young. A 12 months later, he averaged 21 points and 11.1 rebounds for the Duke Blue Devils as a real freshman, earning the 2018 ACC Player of the Year award.

“Music helps me spiritually, helps me mentally just get everything I’m thinking, get everything I’m feeling, everything I want to talk about, just get it out, put it to music and make it sound a certain way ” said Bagley.

Bagley is a musical chameleon. On one track (“Who Want It”) he sounds similar to late New York grunge rapper Pop Smoke, and on one other (“Proud”) he takes a detour inspired by Wizkid’s Afrobeats. He records music almost year-round and releases music almost exclusively within the off-season. He will not be within the studio much throughout the season, but during this time he refines his flow and lyrics, in addition to improving his songs. He is currently working on his next full-length album, a follow-up to his 2021 album.

I tell Bagley that music seems to be therapeutic for him, a way to release all his pent-up emotions. Then I asked him a hypothetical query: If you could not make music, how would you do away with all these thoughts and feelings?

He said he would proceed to write, whether it’s poetry or a book. He would find one other way to express himself.

“I feel like I would continue to look for different ways to release what I’m feeling or the thoughts that I’m having and just repress them so I can get them out of my head,” Bagley said.

Before we parted ways, I had to ask Bagley a vital, if rambling, query. The attacker has been following and learning rap music since he had his baby teeth. He has collaborated with hip-hop stars akin to Lil Durk and Fabolous. And in 2018 he said that his favorite album of the 12 months was Drake and his rap MVP was J. Cole.

So I had to know, purely on a skill level, who won the 2024 heavyweight battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. (I instructed Bagley not to include Lamar’s “Not Like Us” in his evaluation since it gave the impression of an unfair advantage: the song hit a record 21 weeks and was No. 1 on the highest rap chart on October 7.)

Bagley initially said he would give Drake the nod, but after admitting things were getting just a little tense between the 2 emcees, he modified his mind in favor of Lamar, who will perform the Super Bowl LIX halftime show in February 2025.

“Euphoria” continues to be one in every of my favorite songs. I listened to this song before the match. I listened to this song often,” he said. I hope he continues to make music and consistently drop. But once he falls, you’ve got no alternative but to face him and listen.

Social media users are criticizing NBA veteran Shaquille O’Neal for his awkward comments about Angel Reese. In the last episode of Reese’s Podcast “Without Embarrassment Angel”.O’Neal and the Chicago Sky forward discussed the discrepancies between the national men’s and ladies’s basketball associations.

While Reese highlighted the disparity in viewership and earnings, O’Neal shared his controversial “solution” to the problem: lower the ring so more WNBA women could dunk.

“Pretty girl diving into the hoop, I watch that all the time,” O’Neal said. “You idiot…trust me, it will change…it’s about seeing things you shouldn’t see.”

Confessing that she hates it when men make such suggestions in a discussion, Reese dismissed O’Neal’s comment, noting that there are women within the WNBA who can dunk at the present height of the ring. Although the retired athlete clarified his statement by explaining that viewers like to see things they’ve never seen before, the conversation took a nasty turn when O’Neal commented on Angel Reese’s appearance.

“If you listen to my method, your dream will surely come true lower down… to a place where you can all dunk. “Imagine you’re wearing the same short shorts you wore to the ‘Wild ‘N Out’ concert and you’re diving,” he continued, referring to the shorts Reese wore while performing at the Chicago stop of the Wild ‘N Out Live Tour at beginning of this month. “Do you know how many T-shirts you’re going to sell?”

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Rolling her eyes and clearly feeling uncomfortable, Reese laughed awkwardly as O’Neal continued to talk about how the uniform change would increase sales and revenue for the WNBA.

“You are not beautiful (or) handsome, you are gorgeous. There are a lot of great women in the WNBA… Sometimes when people see all of you for the first time, they see all of you for what you do; they don’t know how damn beautiful you all are,” he added. “Men watch the games and we like what we like. (Combine that) with seeing you all dunking and your money will increase tremendously.”

Just as Reese appeared to be physically uncomfortable with O’Neal’s uncensored comments, social media users were equally concerned about his statements.

“Shaq is 52 years old. Angel Reese is 22 years old. It’s clear that Angel feels betrayed. She thought Shaq could be more like family (and he’s) realizing he’s just one other lonely pervert. Fucking disgusting,” wrote one user on X.

The others called out how disturbing it was for O’Neal to “sexualize Angel Reese when he is 30 years older than her and has children older than her.”

O’Neal’s comments were particularly disgusting considering Reese once referred to O’Neal as a “father figure” when describing their mentor-mentee relationship. Since each attended LSU before entering the skilled basketball league draft, the retired athlete was an “understanding ear” for Reese throughout the 2024 WNBA draft.

“He is extremely inspiring to me,” Reese said USA today. “He is so honest, he was there for me in difficult times. He just gets it and there is no more perfect person to be close to… He doesn’t care about me as a player, he cares about me as an individual.

Similarly, O’Neal once echoed these sentiments while explaining their unique bond.