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Haslem is in Adebayo’s corner through it all. “I think Bam understands what comes with the territory,” Haslem, 46, said. “He understands what comes with this journey. He understands what comes with the accolades and the 83 points, and what comes with the gold medals and the contracts. He understands what comes with that. It’s not all going to be good. So you have to take the good and the bad, and he understands that. But I always tell him, it doesn’t matter what they call you. It only matters what you answer to.” But Haslem is also honest in his assessment of Adebayo’s play when he needs to be. “That doesn’t mean when Bam is not playing well or Bam is not doing his job, I’m not honest with Bam,” Haslem continued. “I’m not soft on Bam.”
“He’s great. He’s honest. He’s tough,” Antetokounmpo said of Haslem, with the Heat opening its five-game preseason schedule on Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors in Quebec City, Canada. “Obviously being around the organization for 20-plus years, he brings value to the team as a player and as a guy that can come in and coach us and give us advice. So far, I’ve loved it. He always comes to me and sits with me and asks me how I feel and what I thought about practicing. Sometimes just that little interaction helps you. It goes a long way. I’m looking forward to getting to know him more.”
“I told him when he transitioned into this role, I said, ‘I know you’re doing TV. That’ll take up some of your schedule, but anytime you can come around, don’t ask. You don’t have to get approved of anything. We’d love to have you around,’” Spoelstra said this week when asked about Haslem’s current position with the Heat. “And it’s working out right now with everything. He’s able to find the balance. He loves being around the guys. He loves giving and serving and helping.”
Bam Adebayo: I text Dwyane Wade often. Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem are my guys. They were a part of my journey when I first got to the NBA. I tell the story about how much I hated Spo [laughs]. They also were behind the scenes trying to talk me off that ledge of not cursing him out every day, even though I wanted to as a rookie, which was crazy. But to have those type of vets that really care and want me to be better in this league, that's all you can really ask for.
“I had to sit and talk to him about I had to sit and talk to him about it because this was my brother and the godfather to Kaavia [youngest daughter],” he continues. “He didn’t know. and he eventually changed his thinking, his tone, his verbiage, and then his actions. “He trusted that to have a safe conversation with him in a safe environment allow for him to feel safe and really talk to each other man to man and say and say what we don’t what I didn’t like and what I didn’t approve of and and also share with him what I was dealing with you know in my household.”
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Heat Central: Chris Bosh speaks on making things right with the Heat organization when he got his jersey retired: “It was really on the Heat to do that. Speaking with those in charge, Pat Riley, Nick and Micky, they were so cordial during the process. We had to make amends. There was some battles with me trying to come back and play and all that stuff. Having my name up there in the rafters next to Shaq, D Wade, Hardaway, Haslem, that’s the greatest. Alonzo mourning. I have to stunt on the NBA players. If you think you’ll have a career like mine you gotta go to Miami and look up there. You gotta long way to go. It’s a long way up there… if you’re lucky you get to do what you love. I love basketball… two championships, I couldn’t make it up if I wanted too.” (Via nbataketwo YT)
Heat Central: Bobby Portis explains what led to the face off with Spo and Udonis Haslem 💀 “Quite honest what I remember? Jimmy Butler was kicking our…. I can’t even say the bad word…. I remember coming here game 4 up 16 with 9 minutes left… then this guy just goes into straight flow state… Game 5 comes and I’m trying to fire my team up. Right after the timeout UD came up to me and got in my face which is kind of funny I’m here now.”
“I remember when I got into it with Poole… I remember one person when the Jordan Poole incident happened with me who was really, really outspoken about it, and it really bothered me, was Udonis Haslem,” Draymond Green said. “I saw Udonis Haslem get into it with guys on teams that was younger than him before. Ala Jimmy Butler. Then he came out like, ‘That’s ridiculous! You get into it with your young guy I would never. I can’t believe you did that…' So when I first saw this, I was like damn. This is two young guys Udonis Haslem has raised. If you raised this young guy in the light of what you was saying about me, and now he punches this other young guy, that y’all kind of co-raised, are you going to have that same energy?”
Udonis Haslem: @Money23Green I see some things just don’t change. lol. You was on sucka shit four years ago when you swung on Jordan Poole and you on sucka shit now. I usually don’t engage but since you went so far left to get my attention here it is!!! If you think your big 32 year old, 3 or 4 rings at the time having ass swinging on a 23 year old Jordan Poole at the time is the same then you are even more delusional that I thought.
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Udonis Haslem: First of all Bam is 28. Tyler is 26. Neither one of them got it all figured out yet. Maybe I was giving you too much credit at the time cause I thought you did so that’s why I commented. 2nd, anyone who knows bam knows he’s strong as baby bear. If he would’ve unloaded on Tyler 100% it’s over. You fired off on that young boy like it was a club punch and you never met him before in your life. 3rd yeah I did go at Jimmy. You damn right. The shit you pull in golden state and that shit he pulled in Chicago talking crazy to Hoiberg and disrespecting teammates in practice in Minnesota ain’t gon fly in the 305. So yeah. I checked his ass.
Udonis Haslem : Ion really vibe you and I think you know that so unless it’s me on prime talking hoops I won’t mention you at all. You brought me into this and I am retired and out the way. I suggest you keep it pushing cause I ain’t giving out no more hall passes bra!
Heat Central: Marc Stein on the reports that former Heat players like Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler weren’t the biggest fans of Bam Adebayo being chosen as the ‘guy’ for the Miami Heat: “He is Heat royalty for Micky Arison, Nick Arison, Pat Riley. He is the modern day Udonis Haslem. They consider him the absolute franchise pillar. I’ve always heard nothing but he’s held in high regards by his teammates… He is the untouchable there. That part is for sure. He is an extension of Pat Riley, Spo, Ownership.”
He will become the 13th player in NBA history to reach a 20th season, joining LeBron James, Vince Carter, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis, Robert Parish, Kyle Lowry, Udonis Haslem, Jamal Crawford, Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. "I knew a few off the top of my head, but I hadn't seen the list," Al Horford told ESPN. "It's hard to believe. It's something that, for me, I'm very grateful. It's just so hard to be in this league for that amount of years. There's a lot of commitment, a lot of sacrifice and time. I still feel like I'm able to contribute and have an impact on a team."