Best & Worst Statues In Sports History

Lisa Leslie is finally getting her flowers in bronze. The Los Angeles Sparks announced that the Hall of Famer and franchise icon will be honored with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena’s Star Plaza on Sunday, September 20, ahead of the Sparks’ game against the Portland Fire. It’s a historic moment for Los Angeles, for the Sparks, and for women’s basketball as a whole. Leslie becomes just the second WNBA player to receive a statue from her franchise, following Sue Bird in Seattle, and her statue will be the first WNBA player statue to join the loaded Star Plaza lineup outside Crypto.com Arena.

And if anybody deserves that kind of permanent real estate, it’s Lisa Leslie. She was a cornerstone of the WNBA from the league’s first season in 1997, spent her entire 12-year career with the Sparks, won two championships, three MVPs, four Olympic gold medals, made eight All-Star teams, became the first player in WNBA history to dunk in a game, and still sits all over the Sparks’ record book. She remains the franchise’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, field goals, free throws, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, minutes and games.

That’s why this one feels bigger than just another statue reveal. For decades, statues outside arenas have been one of the loudest ways a team can say, “This person changed us forever.” Jerseys get retired. Banners go up. Tribute videos play. But a statue is different. A statue turns an athlete into part of the building’s identity. It gives fans a meeting spot, a photo op, a shrine, and a permanent reminder that what happened in that jersey mattered beyond the box score.

It also takes a lot to get one right. The best sports statues don’t capture a face or a body; they capture motion, memory, aura and context. Michael Jordan has to look like he’s floating. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has to look like the skyhook is still untouchable. Sue Bird’s statue had to say something about her whole career without needing a long explanation. Lisa Leslie’s will have the same challenge: how do you sculpt dominance, grace, history, hometown pride and the birth of a league into one image?

But that’s also where things can get tricky. Because as much time, money and good intention as these projects usually take, not every statue lands the way it was supposed to. Sometimes the pose is right but the face is off. Sometimes the body proportions are weird. Sometimes the tribute becomes a meme before people can even appreciate the honor. And in the internet era, a bad statue doesn’t just sit outside an arena quietly — it gets cooked worldwide before the ceremony is even over.

So with Lisa Leslie’s statue now putting sports sculptures back in the conversation, it feels like the perfect time to look back at some of the best statues in sports history — and some of the worst.

BEST SPORTS STATUES

Michael Jordan — United Center, Chicago

The Michael Jordan statue, officially known as “The Spirit,” is still the standard. Unveiled in 1994 when the Bulls retired Jordan’s No. 23, the bronze sculpture captures MJ mid-flight, arm stretched out, legs spread, looking like he’s about to finish a dunk nobody else on Earth could even attempt. The United Center calls it one of the arena’s signature attractions, and it has become as much a part of Chicago basketball culture as the red and black jersey itself.

Sue Bird — Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle

Sue Bird’s statue belongs on the “best” side because of what it represents and how carefully it was built around her story. Unveiled in 2025, the 8-foot, 650-pound bronze statue outside Climate Pledge Arena made Bird the first WNBA player honored with a statue outside a stadium. It shows her going up for a layup, a nod to the face that her first and final WNBA baskets came that way. That’s the kind of detail that makes a statue feel personal instead of generic.

Kobe Bryant & Gianna Bryant — Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles

The Kobe and Gianna “Girl Dad” statue is powerful because it goes beyond basketball greatness and captures something emotional. Unveiled on August 2, 2024 — a date chosen to connect Kobe’s Nos. 8 and 24 with Gianna’s No. 2 — the statue shows Kobe embracing Gianna with angel wings behind them. The Lakers described it as a tribute to Kobe’s love for his daughters and the Bryant family’s support for women and girls in sports. It’s one of those statues where the symbolism is just as important as the likeness.

Ted Williams — Fenway Park, Boston

Ted Williams’ Fenway Park statue is one of the best because it doesn’t try to make him look larger than life in the usual “sports hero” way. Instead of showing him swinging a bat, the statue depicts Williams placing a cap on the head of a young cancer patient, honoring his longtime work with the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber. Williams was one of the greatest hitters ever, but this statue remembers him for something deeper than batting average. That makes it stand out.

Rafael Nadal — Roland-Garros, Paris

Rafael Nadal’s Roland-Garros statue is perfect because it doesn’t try to freeze him into a traditional portrait. The stainless-steal sculpture, unveiled in 2021, captures the movement and violence of his game — that whipping forehand, that energy, that clay-court force. It sits near the public entrance and Jardin des Mousquetaires, which is fitting because Nadal’s relationship with the French Open is basically its own sports dynasty.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles

Some statues don’t need to overthink it. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s statue had one obvious job: immortalize the skyhook. The Lakers legend’s bronze tribute outside Crypto.com Arena captures the most unstoppable shot in basketball history, the move that helped make him a six-time NBA champion, six-time MVP and one of the most accomplished players the sport has ever seen. On a plaza filled with legends, Kareem’s statue works because the pose is instantly recognizable.

WORST SPORTS STATUES

Dwyane Wade — Kaseya Center, Miami

Dwyane Wade absolutely deserved a statue. The problem is, a lot of people didn’t think the statue looked like Dwyane Wade. The Heat unveiled it in 2024 to honor Wade’s famous “This is my house” celebration, making him the first player in franchise history to receive that honor. But the face immediately became a viral debate, with fans roasting the likeness and Charles Barkley saying it was ugly and needed to be taken down. Wade handled the criticism with humor, but the internet had already made its decision.

Cristiano Ronaldo — Madeira Airport, Portugal

The Cristiano Ronaldo bust at Madeira Airport is basically the Michael Jordan statue of bad sports statues. Unveiled in 2017 when the airport was renamed in Ronaldo’s honor, the bronze bust was instantly mocked for its strange smile and warped facial features. it became so infamous that it was later replaced, though the original sculptor, Emanuel Santos, defended the work and later got another chance to create a new version.

Brandi Chastain — Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame Plaque

This one technically wasn’t a full statue, but it absolutely belongs in the sports monument hall of shame. In 2018, Brandi Chastain’s Hall of Fame plaque went viral because the likeness looked so little like the soccer icon that people compared it to everyone from Babe Ruth to Gary Busey. The reaction got so bad that the Hall of Fame agreed to redo it. Chastain was gracious about it, but when the honor becomes more famous for not looking like you, that’s a problem.

Mohamed Salah — Egypt

Mohamed Salah is one of the most beloved athletes in Egypt, which made his 2018 statue even more unfortunate. The bronze piece, unveiled at the World Youth Forum in Sharm El Sheikh, was supposed to capture Salah’s trademark celebration. Instead, it got roasted for its off proportions, especially the oversized head and small body. It was criticized for its poor resemblance to the Liverpool star, and fans online had a field day.

Harry Kane — Waltham Forest, London

Harry Kane’s statue had a strange journey before most people even saw it. Commissioned in 2019 by Waltham Forest Council, the life-sized statue reportedly spent years in storage before finally being unveiled at Peter May Sports Centre in 2024. By then, it had already built up enough mystery to become a story — and once people saw it the jokes came fast. Although the statue was mocked online after its reveal, Kane himself said he was proud of the tribute and hoped it would inspire young people.

Harry Caray — Wrigley Field, Chicago

The Harry Caray statue outside Wrigley Field is beloved in its own weird way, but visually, it had always been a lot. The tribute shows the legendary Cubs broadcaster holding a microphone as if leading “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” but the surrounding fan faces at the base have made it one of the strangest-looking sports statues around. Roadside America famously described the tiny human heads as looking like they were bubbling out of his pants. It may be charming to Cubs fans, but from a pure statue design standpoint, it’s definitely in the “what exactly is going on here?” category.