Udonis Haslem doesn’t like Michael Jordan’s jersey retirement stunt despite 20 years with Miami Heat

Not everyone is cut out to be a member of the Miami Heat. But for a player who won a championship with the Heat, the pride is immeasurable. The Heat have retired the jerseys of six players who left a major mark on the franchise. On top of that, they also retired the jerseys of Bill Russell and Michael Jordan, even though they never played for the team.

A member of all the championship teams in Miami Heat history, Udonis Haslem joined Shaquille O’Neal in a recent episode to express his displeasure with Michael Jordan’s jersey being retired by the Heat . big podcast.

“Speaking of Jersey in Miami… I hate it when they hang other people’s jerseys. I hope I didn’t disrespect anyone with my word…but this thing about us. This is what we built. Michael Jordan never played for the Heat. Bill Russell never played for the Heat…I personally don’t like that. I don’t mean to be disrespectful;

“The four-time champion said, and Haslem nodded.”I have to agree with him“.

As early as 2003, the Miami Heat decided to retire Michael Jordan’s No. 23 jersey. This is to honor and recognize all that the Chicago Bulls legend has done for the NBA. This is a unique event in NBA history. At the time, Jordan became the first player to have his jersey retired by a team he had never played for.

After leading the Heat to a championship, neither Shaq nor Haslem liked Jordan receiving the honor. While Jordan was a great player and legend in his own right, he had nothing to do with what the Miami Heat accomplished through hard work.

Michael Jordan’s rare honor was accomplished by another superstar

The only player who comes close to Michael Jordan in terms of skill and playing style is Kobe Bryant. So it’s probably no surprise to know that the only other player besides Michael Jordan and Bill Russell to have his jersey retired by an NBA team they didn’t play for is Kobe Bryant.

The Dallas Mavericks and Mark Cuban released a statement the day after news of Kobe Bryant’s death broke. That’s when it was revealed that in order to honor Kobe’s legacy, they would be retiring Kobe’s No. 24 jersey with the organization. This makes Bill Russell, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan the only three players in NBA history to win this honor.

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What do you think about these NBA superstars having their jerseys retired by teams they never played for? Let us know what you think in the comments!