Charles Barkley Slams Dwyane Wade's 'Ugly' Heat Statue: 'They Gotta Take That Thing Down'

Mar. 15, 2025

From Left: Charles Barkley; and Dwyane Wade.Photo:Derek White/Getty; Alexander Tamargo/Getty

Derek White/Getty; Alexander Tamargo/Getty

Dwyane Wade’s recently unveiledMiami Heat statuehas caused quite a stir online, with many critics voicing their displeasure of its likeness. Now, former NBA playerCharles Barkleyhas chimed in with his thoughts.

DuringTNT’sTip-Offon Tuesday, Oct. 29, Barkley didn’t hold back, calling the statue “ugly” despite it being created to honor Wade’s achievements as a Heat player.

“It’s a great honor but they gotta take that thing down,” Barkley, 61, said to both Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith. “If you made an ugly statue that’s what it would look like. That thing is awful.”

Barkley added, “The statue was so bad they had to put all his stats behind it so you know who it was.”

The Dwyane Wade statue.Carmen Mandato/Getty

Carmen Mandato/Getty

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE about the statue, Wade, 42, said that he was “over the moon” about his likeness being set in stone outside the Kaseya Center, where he played for 13 years.

“I can’t believe it. That’s me back there in an artistic form,” he told PEOPLE, adding, “This is an artistic expression of a moment, one of the biggest moments of Miami Heat history, and I’m just in disbelief that I’m the one that’s chosen.”

The retired Heat star then explained that “social media got ahold of” a video from theOct. 27 unveilingthat showed Wade and his son,Zaire, reacting to the unveiling.

Wade said he and his family are “not concerned with no one’s opinion” of the statue, which some fans criticized after the unveiling. The former NBA star added, “We all just on the high high and nobody could take us down from our high. We sky high, we over the moon.”

“Everybody else’s opinion of it is their opinions, and everyone has one, and they’re allowed to utilize it, but we’re not concerned with no one’s opinion. We wouldn’t have a statue if we ever, ever was concerned with someone’s opinion,” he continued.

Dwyane Wade in front of his statue on Oct. 28, 2024.Carmen Mandato/Getty

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Wade played for the Heat from 2003 to 2016 before he moved to the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers for one season each. He ultimately went back to the Heat for a final season before retiring in 2019.

His statue outside the arena depicts his legendary 2009 game against the Bulls, when he dominantly declared, “This is my house,” during the 48 point-performance. It was this moment that Wade and the Miami Heat organization agreed was the best choice for his statue.

source: people.com