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Earlier this week, Udonis Haslem made some comments about every NBA team retiring Bill Russell's number. After seeing these remarks, Jaylen Brown was seen liking a post mocking the three-time champion for his thoughts.
When a fan was digging through Jaylen Brown's likes on Twitter, they found he liked a post regarding what Udonis Haslem said about Russell. The fan called out the longtime Miami Heat big man for having an issue with Russell but not saying a word when the organization retired Michael Jordan's No. 23.
Aside from playing for the Boston Celtics himself, Brown is also big on speaking out for social justice. This is likely why he is defending Russell, who did the same during and after his career.
Russell was one of the NBA's first superstars, winning 11 championships from 1956 to 1969. He was made a part of the Basketball Hall of Fame twice, once as a player and once as a coach.
In July of 2022, Russell passed away at the age of 88. The league decided to honor his memory by retiring his No. 6 across all 30 teams. This is the first time the NBA has ever done this for a player.
What did Udonis Haslem say about retiring Bill Russell's jersey?
Since retiring from the NBA, Udonis Haslem has started a podcast with his former teammate Mike Miller. While they were interview Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo, the story about Bill Russell's jersey retirement came out.
Adebayo details that night from his perspective. He said that Haslem wasn't pleased with the decision. Haslem disagreed with the decision because he feels there will never be a Heat jersey in the rafters of the Boston Celtics' arena.
After Adebayo detailed the events, Haslem did set the record straight. He said it had nothing to do with Russell, and that he has a lot of respect for the legend. His gripe is that there will never be an instance where the roles are reversed.
"Will you ever see a Miami Heat jersey hanging in Boston's rafters?" Haslem said. "Respect to Bill Russell, I love him, why the f*** he got to hang in here."
Haslem will soon be immortalized next to Russell in the rafters of the Heat's arena. A few weeks ago, the team announced that they plan to retire his No. 40 jersey on January 19th against the Atlanta Hawks. Haslem spent over two decades with the Miami organization before retiring at the end of last season.
Guess the Lakers players!
