Heat news: Lamar Odom sings high praises for Miami's culture

Lamar Odom played one prolific season for the Miami Heat in 2003-04 where he produced numbers that earned him the respect of the Los Angeles Lakers.

While Lamar Odom had his best run as a pro with the Los Angeles Lakers, many may have forgotten that he also played for the Miami Heat back in the 2003-04 season. He appeared and started for 80 games as a member of the Heat, and averaged solid numbers of 17.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, establishing himself as one of the most versatile players in the league.

With news that he may get signed by the Lakers to a one-day contract to retire with them, the 37-year-old Rhode Island product recalled the good times he had in the NBA, including being part of the South Beach team. He recently spoke with Shams Charania of The Vertical, where he shared what he learned from the team’s culture. Odom only had high praise for the organization, and also said that he continues to respect their program.

“In Miami, if you don’t go hard, you can’t play there. That’s why I respect their program and their tradition and their style of basketball even to this day, even though they didn’t make it to the playoffs last year. Because I played there and I understand them, I can still watch them. I know what they’re going through in practice. They’re getting pushed to the limit. So if you have talent and you go to Miami, it’s going to come out and be maximized.”

“We had Wade, Caron Butler, Eddie Jones, Rasual Butler, Rafer Alston, Brian Grant. We had a good nucleus. We had a gritty team, blue-collar. I took the Heat philosophy for my whole career. When I watch basketball now, I watch it through the eyes of somebody that played for the Heat.”

Although they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals that year, it paved the way for him to receive a lot of playing time with the Lakers in the following season, as he was able to showcase his full repertoire in Miami.

His comments only prove that the Heat have embraced the same culture since then, and they continue to practice it up to this day. Odom will be best remembered for his contributions to the Lakers, but with what he said, it also proves that the Heat are truly a world-class organization, which helps explain why some of the biggest names in free agency have chosen to take their talents to South Beach over the past years.