Dwyane Wade has a new face, at least on his statue. The Miami Heat revealed an updated sculpture of the Hall of Famer on Friday with a new head made for the piece.

The original statue went up outside the team's arena two years ago. Criticism came in waves right away because many fans felt the face looked almost nothing like Wade.

Wade said he agreed to the change. "I had to ask myself a pretty simple question: 'If people don't feel that connection when they look at the face, why wouldn't we try to make it better?'" he wrote in an essay published Friday. He said everyone involved talked it over and agreed to make adjustments to the head.

Work done behind a box

The work was finished over the past few days. A plywood box covered the statue so the public could not watch. The Heat posted photos of the new version on Friday shortly before Wade's essay came out.

"This isn't about erasing the work that was already done or disrespecting the artists who put their time and talent into creating it," Wade wrote. "It's about being willing to listen."

"This is my house"

The statue recalls a famous night in March 2009. Wade hit a shot at the buzzer to beat the Chicago Bulls in double overtime, hopped onto a courtside table and shouted, "This is my house."

"The 305 deserves to look at that statue and feel the same energy it felt that night," Wade wrote. "I hope when people see it now, they see a better likeness of me. But more than that, I hope they see themselves. Because it may be my likeness, but it will always be our house."

Wade spent most of his career with Miami and was a central part of the franchise's three NBA championship teams.