Heat icon Udonis Haslem names two NBA legends he ‘still wants to fight’

Udonis Haslem has been retired for over a year now, but he continues to make headlines. One thing we know for sure about the Miami legend, is that he’s kind of a hot heat, and speaks his mind with little to no filter. In a recent interview, the former star talked about some of his rivals from back in the day, which remain his enemies. 

We all know that the rivalry between the Heat and Celtics dates back more than a decade, and last year we witnessed another chapter of this basketball feud, when the South Beach club eliminated the team from Massachusetts during the Eastern Conference’s Finals.

However, for Udonis, the fierce battle goes all the way back to the Big Three era, when he had to face a Boston side with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who have both been retired for over five years now. But according to the Haslem, he still has a problem with the both of them.

Udonis Haslem reveals untold story about Dwyane Wade being hit on by OJ Simpson's girlfriend https://t.co/duyUPxouzE

— Sportskeeda Affiliate Program (@SportskeedaAff) November 6, 2024

In a recent episode of The OGs podcast alongside Dwayne Wade, the retired-Heat star didn’t think twice when discussing the idea of running into the Celtics pair again, saying he even has a desire to fight them.

“We’d have been in those battles with Boston, with KG and Paul Pierce and them, and it’s them and there’s chest bumping,” said Wade, who recently became the first Miami player with a statue outside the Kaseya Center. “People think you’re going to fight. I want to fight! I wanna almost fight.”

Udonis, on the other hand, still has his fists ready for action. “That’s the problem. I still wanna fight,” Haslem shared. “I probably don’t want to be around if we run into any of the names he named. There ain’t going to almost be nothing.”

The player who retired last season, has a history of throwing out threats, just like he did to the TNT panel during his final playoff run. “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 a– too.

“Some of the guys that sit up in there behind them suits at TNT, and they got jokes; I would tear their a– up. I ain’t up here smoking cigarettes and eating chicken. I’m getting work done, man,” Haslem said publicly before the end of his final campaign.

The Miami icon remains close to the club as he has been acting as the Heat’s VP of Basketball Development during the past year

Why was Haslem the perfect person to take on the role of Miami’s Vice President of Basketball Development? Coach Erik Spoelstra has the answer and it seems pretty clear to him. Udonis has the most important quality for the job, as he’s the textbook example of Heat culture.

“If you tried to explain our culture, you’d just show highlights of UD,” the veteran coach said last year. “Not only in games, but if you could find just footage of him on the practice court, or of mentoring when no one else is in the gym, but somebody needs to do extra conditioning. And UD, who has proven everything in this game, is running with a young player, just to show them support.”

Haslem haș been performing in this role for an entire year now, and his former coach couldn’t be happier about it. Spoelstra believes the South Beach legend could eventually work up to being an assistant coach or remain working in the higher positions of the front office.

“I love it,” Erik said some time ago. “UD is going to be around, and he’s going to serve a lot of different capacities for our organization – downstairs and upstairs. But I love having him in the gym, I love having him in the locker room. I love having him in any kind of role.”