Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Udonis Haslem Speaks On His Early Intimidation Of Pat Riley

Haslem says he didn't speak to Riley his first two years with the Miami Heat
Shandel Richardson|
Miami Heat's Udonis Haslem Speaks On His Early Intimidation Of Pat Riley
Miami Heat's Udonis Haslem Speaks On His Early Intimidation Of Pat Riley

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Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem has been considered an "enforcer" since he entered the NBA in 2003. 

He's never backed down from any challenges ... except one. In a recent interview with Boardroom TV, Haslem said he was once intimidated by Heat team president Pat Riley. 

"Pat Riley, the symbol, you probably wanna look at some mob shit," Haslem said. "I ain't never been afraid of no man but I think the first two years with the Miami Heat I didn't speak to Pat. It was just uncomfortable, the slicked back hair, the pants and shoes. I watched Godfather. I seen all that shit. I think the first couple of years, it was just uncomfortable. Pat Riley, the image, I think people hit the nail on the head. He's just fucking Godfather." 

The Heat recently signed Haslem to return for a 20th season. It is their way of rewarding him for playing for less so the organization could sign LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade in 2010. It led to two championships in four straight NBA Finals appearances. 

Haslem said Riley is a major reason the franchise has been successful in recent years. 

"Pat Riley, the man is a winner, like myself, regardless of what situation he's been put in," Haslem said. "He wasn't the greatest basketball player.  He wasn't obviously the greatest coach the way the situation started out ... He maximized that opportunity. The sky was the limit." 

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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