Udonis Haslem’s lengthy NBA career has seen him mix it up with plenty of players, but says his worst fight was with former teammate Gary Payton.
Haslem was interviewed by GQ on his role as the Heat’s gatekeeper and was asked about some of his past scuffles, with the veteran noting the dustup with Payton.
“Worst fight?” Haslem said. “Me and Gary Payton got into it at practice once. I don’t know what we were talking about, but shit went left. We started arguing and Gary went and got a broomstick! Pat [Riley] kicked us outta practice. We had a game that night and me and Gary didn’t speak the whole game. He was finna hit me wit’ a broomstick!”
Payton spent the final two seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Heat from 2005 to 2007, a brief era that included being a part of the franchise’s first league championship.
Reaching that pinnacle for the two players obviously came with some heated moments, with his scuffle taking place during the early portion of Haslem’s career.
Haslem is now close to the end of his career, but is happy to continue imparting wisdom to his teammates. He’s also ready to defend them, if necessary, though he may end up also battling them if they fail to give total effort.