Former No. 1 Pick Claims Legend Defines Miami "Heat Culture"

Udonis Haslem is forever engrained in Miami Heat history.

His 20-year stint with the organization is among some of the longest tenures by any NBA player with one team. With the Heat, Haslem won three championships. He faced off against different generations of basketball superstars.

Throughout his career, Haslem transitioned into a player-coach and his aggressive attitude on the court, even against the absolute greats, helped the Heat develop young players into stars. After his career, he took a role in the Heat front office, becoming the Vice President of Basketball Development following his retirement in July 2023.

Former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden was with the Heat for one season in 2014. Oden recently appeared on the Knuckleheads Podcast hosted by former NBA stars Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson. On the podcast, he described how "heat culture" is defined by Haslem.

"The Miami Heat culture is defined by Udonis Haslem," Oden claimed. "We all know that type of person he is, one of the best dudes, do anything for you but he gonna fight everybody in this b----. Having some of the best players on the planet and seeing them commit to that type of culture, weight and body fat, 10% down every Monday, coming in early me and [Michael] Beasley up in that b---- at seven, getting our workouts in, cuz we the new guys on the team and me having to prove myself and just being in Miami and I know where i was coming from in my history in Portland I became the party dude i’m in Miami now."

Oden would play overseas after his one-season stint in Miami but Haslem's mentality is something he remembered throughout his professional basketball career.

HEAT SLIP DOWN POWER RANKINGS

The Miami Heat continue to slip down the NBA.com power rankings.

Last week, the Heat stood at No. 18. This week, the team is No. 20. Miami has gone 1-4 over the last five games. The Heat's late-game woes continue to be a driving force in the team's decline. Longtime NBA writer John Schuhmann further analyzed the team's struggles.

"The four losses came by a total of 16 points, with the Heat struggling on both ends of the floor down the stretch," Schuhmann wrote. "They’re essentially tied with the Bucks for last in clutch offense (96.9 points scored per 100 possessions), with both turnovers and missed shots (on good looks) plaguing them last week. Tyler Herro is now 27-for-95 (28 percent) on clutch shots, what would be the worst mark in the last 10 seasons for a player with at least 75 attempts."

While there is an overall pessimistic outlook from fans as the Heat hunt for a playoff spot, some new additions to the rotation are performing well.

"The Heat got Andrew Wiggins and Kel’el Ware back from five and three-game absences, respectively, on Saturday. Their starting lineup (with Wiggins, Ware and Davion Mitchell) had its best outing (plus-9 in 13.7 minutes) and overall, they’ve been better on both ends of the floor in 318 minutes with Bam Adebayo on the floor together (plus-3.5 per 100 possessions) than they’ve been with Adebayo on the floor without the rookie (minus-2.1 per 100)."

The Heat have slid to No. 9 in the Eastern Conference, still hanging on to a Play-In Tournament nod. Miami has four games on the schedule this week, three of which are at home. The week begins Monday as the team hosts Charlotte. The Heat host the Clippers on Wednesday before a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday against the Celtics at home and Grizzlies on the road.

CHALMERS REFLECTS ON LEBRON LEAVING

Mario Chalmers was an integral piece of the Miami Heat's championship years in 2012 and 2013.

Alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Heat were one of the strongest teams in basketball over a four-season stretch behind the Big Three. Chalmers was the starting point guard, averaging near 10 points a game along with four assists.

In February, Wade appeared on Lou Williams' podcast Changing the Game, where he suggested Pat Riley played a role in James' departure in 2014.

Chalmers recently made an appearance on Dwight Howard's podcast Above the Rim. He shared many of the same sentiments as Wade regarding the end of James' tenure as a member of the Miami Heat, including how Heat staff took James' cookies away from him.

"The whole plane was looking at Bron, like, ‘Wait… is he really mad about cookies right now?' And he was," Chalmers described.

"He was hot. And I get it, though—he had a routine. Every flight, he had two bowls of chocolate chip cookies. Like, eight in each bowl. Then he’d go to the back of the plane, get two scoops of ice cream, and tear that joint up. So, when they took the cookies? Man… he was pissed. Like, really pissed. And that’s when we all kind of looked at each other like, ‘Oh… this might be it. He’s gone after this season.’ I swear, I don’t ever wanna see that man mad like that again. You better get out of his way if he ain’t got his cookies. And here’s the kicker… we were on a 27-game winning streak. That’s why this is even crazier. We’re on the longest win streak in the league, and you really just removed this man’s cookies?"

Chalmers elaborated on the idea James and the team were micro-managed by Heat president Pat Riley. Even though the team had success, the front office stepped in and managed dietary restrictions.

The Big Three era concluded after the 2013-14 season. James left the organization to return home to Cleveland, where he won a title in 2016. Wade left the Heat after 13 seasons in 2016 to join the Chicago Bulls. Bosh had trouble staying on the court due to medical concerns, which unfortunately ended his career.

Sean Jordan is a contributor to Miami Heat On Sports Illustrated. He can be reached at sjorda06@syr.edu.

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