Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown had a subtle – yet telling – reaction to former Miami Heat big man Udonis Haslem’s comments about Celtics and NBA legend Bill Russell.
Brown liked a post on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) that pointed out that the Heat retired the jersey number of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, even though he never played for the Heat.
Haslem apparently said “f— Bill Russell” after the NBA announced the league-wide jersey retirement for the legendary Celtics star. Russell, who was an activist and Hall of Famer, passed away on July 31, 2022. He was 88 years old.
An 11-time NBA champion, Russell was one of the greatest centers in the history of the NBA. He was a 12-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA selection.
While Haslem clarified that he has tremendous respect for Russell, he wasn’t a fan of a Celtics jersey handing in Miami’s arena.
“Tell me when you gon’ see a Miami Heat jersey hanging in Boston,” said Haslem. “… I had to repent that. I love Bill. No disrespect to Bill. I love him. … Will you ever see a Miami Heat jersey hanging in Boston rafters? … Why the f— he got to hang in here? The s— that come out them people mouth to us when we playing there? I might not take back what I said now that I think about it, the s— that they say to us?”
Brown seemingly wasn’t a fan of Haslem’s comments, especially since they might’ve been a little disrespectful to such an important figure in NBA history.
The Heat and Celtics have created quite a rivalry between them the past few seasons, as the teams have met in the Eastern Conference Finals three times since the 2019-20 season. Miami reached the NBA Finals in the 2019-20 campaign and 2022-23 season, knocking Boston out of the playoffs.
However, the Celtics did get some revenge in the 2021-22 season, as they beat the Heat to advance to the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
Unfortunately for both teams, neither has won a title in those three trips to the NBA Finals. The Heat most recently lost to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals.
Haslem, a Heat legend, retired following the 2022-23 season. While he is no longer playing in the NBA, it’s clear that his voice is being heard by players like Brown.
It’ll be interesting to see if Brown reacts further to Haslem’s comments. The Heat and Celtics have a matchup coming up on Jan. 25, 2024.
