The recent reveal of Dwyane Wade’s Miami Heat statue has some Black folks wondering if it’s the worst celebrity statue ever. As the NBA Hall of Famer pointed out, they aren’t meant to be exact replicas of the subject. However, you would expect that they will have some likeness to them.
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While statues are usually an honor reserved for athletes and historical figures, some stars become famous enough around the world that they receive statues from their hometowns, or in places that hold special significance to their careers. As we continue to question the finished product honoring Wade, we thought it was time to explore some of the worst statues of Black celebs.
Dwyane Wade
The superstar basketball legend’s “This is my house” statue has been ridiculed for the last couple of weeks, as fans couldn’t figure out who it was supposed to look like. Because it’s definitely not Wade.
George Floyd
The idea of honoring George Floyd’s memory with a statute is lovely for his family. However, some Black folks did question the choice of skin tone for the figure, and whether it was a little too rushed.
Tupac Shakur
This statute of the rap legend just ain’t it. For somehow whose image is so prevalent in music videos and movies, how did these artists seemingly not know what Tupac looked like? You could give us 50 guesses and we wouldn’t have thought this was Tupac.
Daniel Kaluuya
The actor’s role as Chris in “Get Out” was memorialized with a statue in London, but some Black folks had an issue with them choosing the scene where he falls into “the Sunken Place.” You could’ve just used a shot of him sitting in the chair and we all would’ve been happy. This sends a weird message.
Shaquille O’Neal
The Los Angeles Lakers wanted to showcase Shaq’s memorable dunk pose, but the statue is up higher than others, so it’s not the most convenient location for photos. And if you’ve watched enough “Final Destination” movies, walking under the 1000 pound figure may make you a bit anxious.
Allen Iverson
As one of the Philadelphia 76ers most influential players ever, you think the team would have given AI a statue befitting his impact? Insteaed of a huge monument, he received something much smaller, leading to endless jokes about its size. Also, in a hilarious bit of irony, Sixers statues are at the practice facility.
Harriet Tubman
One of the issues with Harriet Tubman’s statue is that instead of facing north to the freedom she helped so many enslaved people find, it’s actually facing south. The artist did this to show that she’s preparing to head south to free more slaves.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King
The piece portraying the deep love and partnership between Dr. King and Coretta is more of an artistic representation than a traditional statue. It’s supposed to be them holding hands while hugging, but nowhere in this does that moment come across. We appreciate artists trying to do something different with such well known historical figures, but it feels like they may have overthought this one.
Arthur Ashe
Yes, tennis great Arthur Ashe is just as admired for his activism as he is for his tennis accomplishments. However, having him hold books in one hand and a tennis racket in the other seems like a weird way to portray this.
Venus and Serena Williams
These statues of Venus and Serena at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History aren’t necessarily bad, but they do highlight a common problem for the tennis game changers. When it comes to wax figures and statues, it seems like artists are always one-for-two. They always get one sister right and sort of, kind of right on the other one. In this case, Venus looks great and Serena is just OK.
Michael Jackson
This statue of Michael and his beloved pet monkey Bubbles falls into the category of “too lifelike.” The artist made MJ and Bubbles look so real, they’re a little creepy and we wouldn’t visit them at night.
Michael Jackson (Bonus)
When you’re as famous and popular as Michael Jackson, you have multiple statues around the world. This one is London became the center of controversy, as the smirk on his face was off-putting to visitors at Fulham FC’s museum and it was eventually removed. There’s definitely a weird “Five Nights at Freddy’s” vibe off of this plaster and resin figure.
Michael Jackson (Extra Bonus)
Just to be clear, there are some really good MJ statues in other countries. Unfortunately, this one in Brazil isn’t one of them. This was a memorial that went up shortly after the King of Pop’s death and it looks like it was rushed. And what’s going on with this weird pose that doesn’t resemble him? Honestly, you should’ve taken your time and got it right.
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