Udonis Haslem’s distaste for the Boston Celtics continues even in retirement.
During the second episode of the new podcast Haslem started with former Miami Heat teammate and former University of Florida teammate Mike Miller that was released earlier this week, Heat center Bam Adebayo revealed a story that captured just how much Haslem dislikes the Celtics.
First, here’s some background: When Celtics and NBA icon Bill Russell passed away on July 31, 2022, the league permanently retired Russell’s No. 6 jersey throughout the league to make him the first player to have his number retired across the league. All NBA players wore a commemorative patch on the right shoulder of their jerseys last season to honor Russell and the No. 6 can’t be issued again by any NBA team to any player.
That led Haslem to make a comment that drew the attention of his Heat teammates during a pregame speech prior to a game against the Celtics last season in Miami.
“We’re in the huddle and Cap [Udonis Haslem] came in there and he gave his pregame speech,” Adebayo recalled on a light-hearted and entertaining episode of “The OGs” podcast. “So at that time, we were home and you know they retired Bill Russell’s jersey for everybody in the league. So they got No. 6 in our rafters. This man is going off. ‘[Expletive] them, [expletive] this.’ Going off. He’s in his pregame speech, ‘Yeah, man. This, that and the third. [Expletive] Bill Russell, too.’”
Haslem, who played 20 NBA seasons with the Heat before retiring at the end of last season, quickly clarified that comment after Adebayo told the story, making it clear it wasn’t personal against Russell.
“I love Bill. It’s no disrespect to Bill,” Haslem, 43, said on the podcast. “I love Bill. He just caught that stray. But will you ever see a Miami Heat jersey hanging in Boston’s rafters? Ever, in life?
“It was more about the Celtics in the moment. It had nothing to do with Bill. I’ve apologized and repented for that. But at the end of the day, when are we going to ever see a [expletive] Miami Heat jersey hanging in Boston ever?”
Russell won a record 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career spent entirely with the Celtics, advocating for the values of equality, respect and inclusion during and after his playing career.
“Listen, man. I got to apologize, it wasn’t about Bill,” Haslem continued on the podcast. “It was just about the rivalry and how I feel about the Celtics. But I will not take back my statement, you will never see a Miami Heat jersey of a Miami Heat player hang in those [expletive] rafters.”
The Heat has honored members outside of the franchise before, with the No. 23 of Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan and the No. 13 of Miami Dolphins great Dan Marino displayed in the Heat’s home arena.
When asked about telling that story during his appearance on Haslem and Miller’s new podcast, Adebayo said following Wednesday’s practice that he knew it would anger Celtics supporters “but I had to share that story.”
“It’s one of those things where we knew they were going to be upset,” Adebayo said before the Heat flew to San Francisco on Wednesday to begin a five-game West Coast trip on Thursday night against the Golden State Warriors. “But I felt like it was a great story to share just because it’s just him at his utmost motivating and him being himself and just explaining it. But I, we all respect Bill Russell for what he’s done for us as players and as Black people and all the stuff he had to go through. Just to clear that air before people start talking about that, we all know we respect that man.”
Haslem’s own jersey will soon be hanging in the Kaseya Center rafters, with the Heat set to retire his No. 40 jersey on Jan. 19 during a home game against the Atlanta Hawks. Haslem will become the sixth Heat player to have his jersey retired by the organization, joining Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
Haslem, a Miami native who went to Miami High before playing at the University of Florida, spent each of his 20 NBA seasons with his hometown Heat after going undrafted in 2002. He went on to play a role on each of the franchise’s three championship teams in 2006, 2012 and 2013 while becoming the only undrafted player in NBA history to lead a franchise in total rebounds.
Haslem, who was hired last month to be the Heat’s vice president of basketball development, is only the third player to spend an entire NBA career lasting at least 20 seasons with one team. The others on that short list are Dirk Nowitzki (21 seasons with Dallas Mavericks) and Kobe Bryant (20 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers), and Haslem is the only one to do it in his hometown.
“He’s embodied the culture. He’s the frontier of this,” Adebayo said of Haslem after Wednesday’s practice in Miami. “He’s the person that’s like they had an idea, they had an identity and he’s the person that fit that mold and identity. To have a guy like that, we talk about his story. Three-time champ and he was undrafted, and to be with the same organization for 20 years is unheard of. I think he’s one of one when it comes to that.”
INJURY REPORT
The Heat will again be missing a chunk of its rotation when it begins its five-game West Coast trip on Thursday against the Warriors.
The Heat ruled out Jimmy Butler (left calf strain), Kyle Lowry (soreness), Caleb Martin (right ankle sprain), Josh Richardson (low back discomfort), Orlando Robinson (G League) and Dru Smith (season-ending knee injury).
But Duncan Robinson will be available for the Heat after initially being listed as questionable for the contest because of a sprained left ankle.
Smith is the Heat’s only injured player who is not with the team in San Francisco.
Butler has missed four straight games with his injury, but the fact that he and the Heat’s other injured players traveled is a positive sign regarding their potential returns at some point during the trip. The Heat continues the trip on Saturday against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
“They’re here for a reason,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said following Thursday’s morning shootaround. “And they’re able to get a lot of work in and their bodies will let us know.”
The Warriors ruled out Draymond Green (league suspension) and Gary Payton II (right calf strain) for Thursday’s matchup against the Heat.
This story was originally published December 28, 2023, 9:23 AM.
