Inside The Heat

Miami Heat Legend Fires Motivational Shot at Former All-Star

Jake Elman|
January 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie (12) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
January 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie (12) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem has made it clear in the past he has former teammate Bam Adebayo’s back.

Now, Haslem is trying to motivate Adebayo, even if it takes some tough love.

Haslem ranked his top five big men on a recent episode of NBA Today. Unsurprisingly, the list featured marquee names like Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić and San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama. 

However, the list lacked Adebayo, an exclusion Haslem tried turning into a positive. 

“You know what Bam going to do when he sees this list?” Haslem responded. “Play even harder.”

Adebayo averages 15.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. However, his 45.6 shooting percentage is easily the lowest of his career. 

Haslem defended Adebayo on his podcast earlier this month, arguing the three-time All-Star’s critics lack basketball knowledge.

“People that watch basketball, the people that don’t know s--t about basketball, they oftentimes wanna look at scoring and think that’s most of it,” Haslem said on The OGs, “and they don’t understand how much Bam does for our team on both ends of the basketball court.”

Still, Adebayo could feel worse about not making Haslem’s list. Haslem left Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid off the list entirely, citing the importance of availability.

Embiid has struggled with injuries throughout his career and has already missed 26 games. At least Adebayo remains a constant in the Heat’s lineup.

LOVE CELEBRATES BUTLER’S RETURN

Count Miami Heat forward Kevin Love among those excited to see Jimmy Butler hit the court Friday night.

Love celebrated Butler’s impending return with an Instagram post Thursday. The veteran big man shared an infamous scene from The Wolf of Wall Street where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character expresses he’s “not f----g leaving.”

“LIVE LOOK - Jimmy after his meeting with Micky,” Love wrote, adding a #getmyjoyback caption.

“Micky” refers to Heat owner Micky Arison, who reportedly planned to meet with Butler before Friday’s game against the Nuggets.

The Heat suspended Butler two weeks ago for conduct detrimental to the team; he requested a trade Jan. 2. He remained in Miami during the Heat’s West Coast road trip and worked out at team facilities. 

It is unclear how much Butler will play Friday night. He’s played only 59 total minutes across three games since Dec. 20.

It’s also unclear how the Kaseya Center crowd will react to Butler’s presence. At least he knows Love still has his back. 

HEAT BRINGING BACK VICE UNIFORMS

Butler isn’t the only impending returner for the Miami Heat.

The Heat announced Thursday they’ll begin wearing their popular Vice uniforms again, beginning Friday night.

These are the Original Vice jerseys the team first wore in 2018, a year before Butler arrived via trade.

The white Vice uniform replaces the Heat’s traditional white Association look. 

“This ain’t a dream - we’re ready to rock the #TheOriginalVice,” the Heat’s official Twitter (formerly X) account posted.

Butler is expected to return Friday night following his seven-game suspension. The Heat featured a Vice version of Butler’s jersey on their website Thursday morning.

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.

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Jake Elman
JAKE ELMAN

Jake Elman is a veteran sports journalist and graduate of Florida Atlantic University’s journalism program. In recent years, he has covered the NFL for EndGame360 and served as the sports content lead for ExpressVPN. He also covered the Lane Kiffin years at FAU for the Palm Beach Post.

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