Udonis Haslem has been synonymous with the Miami Heat system for a long time. He was there when they won their title in 2006 and stuck well into the new era of LeBron James and Jimmy Butler. That also means that he has seen the rivalry between his squad and the Boston Celtics the most. His hatred for the team in Massachusetts even prompted him to curse Bill Russell during his jersey retirement ceremony, via The OGs Show.
“Tell me when you are going to see a Miami Heat jersey hanging in Boston. I had to repent that. I love Bill. No disrespect to Bill. He just caught that stray… Respect Bill Russell. I love him. Why the f*** he got to hang in here? The s*** that comes out the people's mouths to us when we are playing there? I might not take back what I said, now that I think about it,” was the explanation that the Heat legend declared.
It was out of respect that the NBA had to retire the Celtics legend's number after he had passed. There was a lot of controversy surrounding this move to honor Bill Russell. However, all of that seems to have subsided over the past year and a half. From the Jimmy Butler-led Heat, it looks like Udonis Haslem is the only one with a major qualm with it.
A lot of his reasoning may come from the love he has for the Heat. Eventually, he might learn to come around once again and understand why they had to honor the late great NBA champion in such a manner.
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