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Udonis Haslem recently made headlines when he mentioned a past controversial remark that he made about Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell during his jersey retirement in Miami. This was done by the league across all teams, considering the legacy left by Russell as a player and activist.
Haslem's "F*** Bill Russell" pregame speech comment certainly rubbed Celtics guard Jaylen Brown the wrong way.
Shared by NBA Central, Jaylen Brown's last liked post on X was from @FanMahome, who argued that no one from the Miami Heat, including Udonis Haslem, had any problem when Michael Jordan's jersey was retired in Miami.
However, the fan then mentioned that when it came to Russell's jersey being hanged in Miami's rafters, he suddenly had a problem with it. Here's a look at the X post:
The NBA Central post resulted in fan reactions where they started to criticize Udonis Haslem while also highlighting the insensitive nature of his remark.
"He cooked that retirement hom resident."
From the fan comments, they mentioned Jaylen Brown's strong bond and respect for Bill Russell and what he stood for. Additionally, one fan also said that Brown is also a player-activist like Russell, who doesn't play basketball for the sake of personal achievements and wealth.
It's clear to see why Brown would like the post, as Russell meant a lot to the league that extended beyond basketball.
Udonis Haslem's controversial remark during Bill Russell's jersey retirement in Miami
During a podcast interview with Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo on "The OGs Show," Adebayo talked about Udonis Haslem's controversial pregame speech. The former Heat Center then addressed the remark he made about Russell.
"I love Bill," Haslem said. "No disrespect to Bill. I love you. He just caught that stray. But will you ever see a Miami Heat jersey hanging in the Boston rafters? Respect Bill Russell, I love him. Why the f*** he got to hang in here."
From Haslem's comments, he respected and loved Bill Russell but he still wasn't too fond of his jersey being part of the rafters in the Miami Heat's arena. He argued that there isn't a Heat jersey to be found in the Boston Celtics' rafters, which is where he was coming from in the first place.
His comments certainly resulted in mixed reactions from NBA fans, considering that the league had a good reason for the Celtics legend's jersey to be included in each team's arena.
Guess the Lakers players!
