"Won't be the last one" - Jimmy Butler congratulates Dwyane Wade on statue with one eye on future memorial

Dwyane Wade is the first Miami Heat player to have a statue built in his honor and Jimmy Butler thinks he won't be the last. The Heat unveiled the statue honoring the 13-time All-Star and Hall-of-Famer outside Kaseya Center on Sunday.

Later on, members of the media spoke with Butler about it. Butler praised Wade and what he's accomplished for the Heat and the city of Miami, as well as the franchise's future. According to Butler, the Heat would soon have other statues, but he never said who they might be.

"I like it," Butler said. "I think its crazy that he's the first one to get a statue out there. I'm pretty sure he won't be the last one to get one but what a way to set an example, a guy who's done so much for this organization."

Dwyane Wade's statue was inspired by an iconic moment from March 2009. The Heat were locked in a tight battle against the visiting Chicago Bulls, in a game that reached double overtime.

With under 10 seconds left, the score was tied at 127 and the Bulls had possession. The ball was in the hands of John Salmons who was being guarded by Udonis Haslem. Salmons used his ball-handling skills to create some separation but Wade took advantage of a momentary lapse from him to steal the ball.

Wade dribbled the ball up the court and knocked down a 3-pointer at the final buzzer. He then hopped onto the scorer's table and shouted: "This is my house" in front of the home crowd.

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Dwyane Wade helped recruit Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat

Jimmy Butler was a free agent during the summer of 2019. Butler chose the Heat and Dwyane Wade played a big role in this decision.

Wade and Butler got the chance to play together with the Chicago Bulls. According to an article by Zach Lowe from 2020, the two discussed the famed "Heat Culture" while they were teammates. It was something that led Butler to pick Miami.

The Heat didn't have the cap space to sign him, but they had the right pieces to move. Pat Riley and the front office orchestrated a four-team trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, LA Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers.

The sign-and-trade deal to land Butler netted the team the superstar they long wanted. In return, Jimmy Butler has led the Miami Heat to finals appearances in 2020 and in 2023.