On Sunday, the Miami Heat unveiled a statue of Dwyane Wade outside the Kaseya Center. Fans criticized the design, particularly the face after it was unveiled. One of the people who had something to say about the statue was NBA legend Charles Barkley.
The statue featured the iconic “This is my house!” celebration of Wade’s game-winning shot in March 2009. The Chicago Bulls, his local team, were the opponent of the game-winner. The Heat icon told reporters it was one of the highlights of his career.
Barkley didn’t hold back when the subject of Wade’s statue was raised during Tuesday’s “Inside the NBA,” show. Like most fans, the former Philadelphia 76ers standout doesn’t think the memorial resembles the legendary Heat player.
“It’s a great honor, but they gotta take that thing down,” Barkley said.
His co-host, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, went up to defend the statue. Smith claims that Wade’s face was sculpted to give the impression that he was animated. The former Houston Rockets point guard said that if anyone sculpted a figure that captured how animated a person is, it would look like the recently unveiled statue.
However, Barkley disagreed with his colleague and called the figure “ugly.”
“If you made an ugly statue, that’s what it would look like. That thing’s awful… That was after he saw the statue. That’s the face he made after he saw it.
Barkley and Smith were challenged by the quartet’s other presenter, Ernie Johnson, to determine who the monument was meant for without knowing it was Dwyane Wade. According to Smith, the statue looks like the three-time champion making an animated face. Chuck was in disbelief after what his co-worker said.
“Hey Kenny, the statue was so bad they had to put all his stats behind him so you’d know who it was… Shout out to the statue maker. Get your education next time.”
"It's a great honor. But they gotta take that thing down." 🤣
Chuck & the crew give their thoughts on Dwyane Wade's statue pic.twitter.com/jIzSQjw0Me
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 29, 2024
Like Wade, Barkley had a statue built after him outside the Sixers’ training complex. Chuck’s appearance throughout his time and peak with the squad was reflected in his statue.
Artist behind Dwyane Wade’s statue defended their work
Oscar Leon, one of the sculptors who created the statue, defended their creation when it was unveiled. According to Leon, he worked closely with Dwyane Wade’s closest friends and Miami Heat executives before they started working on it.
“To the critics, there’s a lot that needs to be understood,” Leon said. “We have to seal everything to keep the integrity of the sculpture. However, that does create a funny little side effect of being glossy in areas that we are not used to seeing when we look at somebody in the flesh.”
Leon added that the statue took 800 hours to complete. He also urged viewers to get a close-up look at the piece.
“The sealer definitely creates a little bit of, um, a misunderstanding to the eye. So, I would definitely encourage everyone to come to Miami and view it in person.”
Artist behind Dwyane Wade statue defends likeness of Heat legend amid criticism
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— AOL.com (@AOL) October 29, 2024
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.