*Charles Barkley’s reputation for giving it to you straight on whatever topic shows no signs of dying as the former Dream Team member had his say on the new Dwyane Wade statue.
Barkley weighed in on the monument during an episode of TNT’s “Tip-Off,” calling the Wade statue “ugly” despite it being created to honor Wade’s achievements as a player for the former Miami Heat player.
“It’s a great honor but they gotta take that thing down,” the 61-year-old basketball legend told co-hosts Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith. “If you made an ugly statue that’s what it would look like. That thing is awful. The statue was so bad they had to put all his stats behind it so you know who it was,” he added.
Barkley’s comments come days after Wade shared his thoughts on the statue, telling People he was “over the moon” at the sight of Wade’s 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,” the 42-year-ole sports star expressed, 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.”
As the interview continued, Wade commented on footage obtained by social media that showed him and his son reacting to the statue’s unveiling on Oct. 27.
The statue, located outside the Kaseya Center, where he played for 13 years, captures his legendary 2009 game against the Chicago Bulls. The game is noted for Wade’s 48-point performance, which he capped by dominantly declaring, “This is my house.”
“They’re going to make comments on what they thought we were thinking,” he said. “But it was a moment when Zaire and I were just looking at each other and just shaking our heads in disbelief that we’re able to experience a moment like this, and so we looked at each other, father and son that went through this journey together in disbelief.”
Despite Wade’s praise for the statue, it has drawn less than flattering feedback from some who feel it’s not an accurate depiction of how he looks. No matter the backlash, Wade mentioned that he and his family are “not concerned with no one’s opinion” of the statue.
“We all just on the high high and nobody could take us down from our high. We sky high, we over the moon,” he said.
“Everybody else’s opinion of it is their opinion, and everyone has one, and they’re allowed to utilize it, but we’re not concerned with no one’s opinion.
Wade added: “We wouldn’t have a statue if we (were) ever concerned with someone’s opinion.”
Chronicling Wade’s days with the Miami Heat, People noted he played for the team from 2003 to 2016 before going to the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers for one season each.
Before retiring in 2019, the NBA standout came full circle back to the Heat for a final season.
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