Despite 20 Year Career With Miami Heat, Udonis Haslem Dislikes Michael Jordan Jersey Retirement Gimmick

Not everyone is cut out to be a member of the Miami Heat. But for the players who won a championship with the Heat, the pride is immeasurable. The Heat have retired the jerseys of 6 players who left a significant mark on the organization. On top of this, they have also retired the jerseys of Bill Russell and Michael Jordan, even though they have never played for the team.

As he is part of all the championship-winning teams in Miami Heat history, Udonis Haslem joined Shaquille O’Neal to show his dissatisfaction at Michael Jordan’s jersey being retired by the Heat during a recent episode of the Big Podcast.

“Speaking of Jersey’s in Miami… I hate the fact that they hang up other people’s jerseys. I hope I am not disrespecting anybody by this term… But this thing of ours. This is what we built. Michael Jordan ain’t never play for the Heat. Bill Russell ain’t never play for the Heat… I don’t like that personally. I am not trying to be disrespectful,” said the 4x champion while Haslem nodded along and said, “I gotta agree with him“.

Back in 2003, the Miami Heat decided to retire Michael Jordan’s jersey number 23. This was to honor and acknowledge everything the Chicago Bulls legend did for the NBA. This was a one-of-a-kind event in NBA history. At the time, Jordan became the first player ever to have his jersey retired by a team that he had never played for.

Having led the Heat to championships, both Shaq and Haslem were not fans of this honor being bestowed upon Jordan. Although Jordan is a great player and legend in his own regard, it has nothing to do with the accomplishments that the Miami Heat attained through their hard work.

Michael Jordan’s rare honor was accomplished by one other superstar

The only player that ever came close to Michael Jordan in terms of skillset and playstyle was Kobe Bryant. So it might not come as a surprise to know that the only other player besides Michael Jordan and Bill Russell to have their jersey retired by an NBA team they didn’t play for was Kobe Bryant.

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After the news of Kobe’s passing was announced, the Dallas Mavericks and Mark Cuban released a statement the following day. That’s when it was revealed that to honor Kobe’s legacy, they were retiring Kobe’s 24 at the organization. This makes Bill Russell, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan the only three players in NBA history to have received this honor.

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What do you think of these NBA greats having their jerseys retired by a team they didn’t play for? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!