The Miami Heat recently unveiled the statue of Dwyane Wade outside their arena. It was the culmination of the career of the greatest player in franchise history and most certainly well deserved.

Of course, a lot has been made of the statue itself and the lack of resemblance with Wade. Social media was filled with memes in the aftermath of the unveiling.

That being said, it is not really about how the statue looks like. It is more about the respect and honour that comes with it.

Wade became the first player in Heat history to get his statue outside the Kaseya Center. That’s forever.

It also brings up another interesting question. Who will be the next Heat legend to get his own statue after Wade?

Well, there are a few possible candidates. LeBron James brought two Championships to Miami and took the Heat to four straight NBA Finals. Shaq played a pivotal role in the franchise’s first Championship triumph. Perhaps even Chris Bosh.

But in the eyes of many, Udonis Haslem should be next. And Pat Riley even teased a statue for him in the future while speaking at the unveiling of Wade’s.

Of course, Haslem is not a basketball icon like Shaq or LeBron. But when it comes to the Heat, he is more synonymous with the franchise.

Born in Miami, he played twenty years for the Heat. He won all three Championships in franchise history. And currently, Haslem is the organization’s Vice President of Basketball Development.

There have been better players in Heat history but there has never been quite anybody like Haslem. Let’s hope that someday, he does indeed get his statue.