The bond between Miami Heat veteran Udonis Haslem and his former teammates Dwyane Wade has lasted nearly two decades, with Haslem recently offering an amusing story about their near interaction with O.J. Simpson.
Haslem appeared on the “All the Smoke” podcast and discussed a number of topics, with one of the subjects (at the 30:32 mark) being how their residence at Miami’s Mutiny Hotel nearly brought them into contact with Simpson and eventually closer together.
“Me and D. Wade was living at the Mutiny and O.J.’s woman tried to holla at D. Wade,” Haslem said. “Man, I told D. Wade, ‘Man, I don’t know, that’s O.J.’s woman. I don’t know if he did it or didn’t do it, but we might have to handle him if he come over here playing.'”
Haslem’s reference to whether Simpson did it or didn’t do it relates to the brutal murders of Simpson’s former wife and another man in June 1994.
Simpson was arrested for the murders just days after those killings, but was acquitted in October 1995. However, he was later found liable in civil court for the crime.
Just a few years after his near-contact with Haslem and Wade, Simpson would be convicted of other crimes and spent time in prison before being paroled a few years ago.
While Simpson’s past history with women might have made Haslem and Wade the target of his ire, the Heat duo decided to let the situation pass and began their path toward becoming team icons.