As Udonis Haslem nears the end of his lengthy NBA career, it appears he hasn’t been thrilled with comments made about him and his role with the Heat — specifically from those at TNT.
In an interview with Andscape, Haslem was asked about scoring 24 points in the Heat’s final regular-season home game and if he enjoyed “letting people know you still had it.”
“Oh, hell, yeah,” Haslem told Andscape. “Listen, I couldn’t wait. I read. I hear all the comments, and even some of my peers, every now and then they got jokes to crack. But I bust their ass too. Some of the guys that sit up in there behind them suits at TNT and they got jokes, I would tear their ass up.
“I ain’t up here smoking cigarettes and eating chicken. I’m getting work done, man.”
Haslem didn’t mention which specific members of the TNT broadcast crew he was referring to, though Shaquille O’Neal — a member of the network’s pregame and postgame shows — appeared to support his former teammate and joined the crowd chanting, “We want Haslem” earlier in the Eastern Conference finals, according to USA TODAY.
Game 7 between the Heat and Celtics on Monday night could end up being the last game of Haslem’s career, if Boston becomes the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-0 deficit and win the series.
The 42-year-old isn’t a key rotation member anymore, and he really hasn’t been since 2014-15 — the last time he appeared in more than 37 games across a season.
Haslem, a 6-foot-8 forward, only appeared in seven games this season and started one, while logging just 2:28 of court time in the 2023 NBA playoffs.
The Heat still consider Haslem a key part of the organization from the bench.
But in the regular-season finale, Haslem played nearly 25 minutes and hit 9-of-17 shots — including 3-of-7 3-pointers — in a flashback to the younger days of his career, when he signed with the organization as an undrafted free agent in 2003.
“What people don’t understand is the reverse effect of this is, if I’m not in shape and if I can’t compete, then [my teammates] don’t listen to me,” Haslem told the website. “If I can’t do this, they going to be like, ‘Man, OK, respectfully, OG, we love you, but get your ass out of here.’ I have to earn their respect every year. To be able to have the title of captain. To be able to have the title of somebody that they respect you and listen to.
“As much as I hold them accountable, they hold me accountable as well. And it goes both ways. … “I’m not just kicking back drinking coffee with my feet up.”
Haslem confirmed to the Miami Herald in March that he was “done no matter what happens,” adding that it’s time for “another voice” to step into his role and lead the present edition of the Heat.
When asked which member of the Heat would replace his role, though, Haslem had a simple answer for Andscape: “Nobody.”
“They got work to do,” Haslem said. “They got work to do, dawg. I don’t know if it would just be just one person. … So, it’s going to be collective. A lot of collective voices and a lot of collective leadership. But there’s no doubt in my mind that these guys will figure it out. They’ll get it done.”