There have been several players who have mentioned Miami Heat culture and how it's different from other teams in the league. Former NBA player Mike Bibby recently opened up about his experience playing with the Heat when LeBron James joined in 2011 to form a Big 3 of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

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With James' media attention plus having to play in the Heat environment, Bibby didn't have the best experience, and he talked about it on the Club 520 podcast.

“It was different man, I wasn’t used to it. I wasn't playing that much anyway, I was playing about 12 minutes a game and it was different man,” Bibby said. “It was nothing like I had ever been in before as far as body fat testing every week, if you don’t make the body fat test you’ve got to do extra cardio, you’ve got to weigh yourself every week. I had to pay for one of my jerseys to take my jersey home, I had to pay for my jersey.”

Bibby says that being at the hotel was hectic because of the attention that James brought wherever he went.

“It was crazy man because the hotels, thousands of people outside the hotels just waiting to get autographs, everywhere you go. It was different,” Bibby said.

Mike Bibby opens up about Pat Riley, Miami Heat

Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) talks with power forward Chris Bosh (1), shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3), and point guard Mike Bibby (0) against the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center.
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

During Mike Bibby's appearance on the Club 520 podcast, he also mentioned how Pat Riley would operate, and how he contemplated stopping playing basketball.

“Pat Riley has his own s—t that he does. Something I wasn’t used to, it wasn’t my best times there but like I said I was playing a little bit of game in my mind saying my mind started to go like, maybe it’s time for me to be done,” Bibby said.

Bibby was signed with the Heat in March 2011 and started in all of their playoff games. He played in the first NBA finals of his career, but the Heat eventually lost to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. The following season, the Heat decided not to re-sign Bibby and went with Mario Chalmers to lead the point guard duties, and drafting Norris Cole in the draft.

Bibby then played with the New York Knicks for one season, which was his last stint in the league.

Heat culture seems to be a real thing, and in an appearance on the Point Game podcast, Bam Adebayo described what it meant.

“To me, it's just a standard. People try to make up these myths and s–t like that. The biggest thing I could say about it is it's a standard. Every year, [Erik Spoelstra] comes in and is like ‘This is what we're trying to get. We're trying to get the trophy.' Sixteen wins, whatever that may be, but it's a standard because every day our coach walks in and challenges us,” Adebayo said.