After acquiring LeBron James and Chris Bosh and pairing them with Dwyane Wade, the Heat had a core that was expected to win several championships. However, signing the trio was expensive and meant the team had to cut corners when assembling the rest of the roster. But when they pondered about letting Udonis Haslem walk, their superstar trio sacrificed money to keep him in Miami.
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The forward was blown away by their gesture and knew the only way he could repay them was to help them win titles. During an appearance on the Pat Bev podcast, the Heat icon revealed that he promised James that he’d leave no stone unturned to ensure their sacrifice was worth it. Haslem said,
“When Bron came to town I let him know straight up: first and foremost you boys took a paycut for me imma make sure you get your money’s worth.”
James, Wade, and Bosh signed six-year deals with the Heat but took nearly $15 million less than they were eligible for to ensure the team could retain key players like Haslem. He also noted that they made the sacrifice without knowing him too well. The forward revealed,
“We ain’t really spend that much time off the court together, but on the court, we already knew what it was. But we just had two different lifestyles, it’s apples and oranges”.
Haslem was not only blown away by James’ generosity but also his impeccable work ethic, which he had the privilege of watching up close.
Haslem’s “front-row seat” to LeBron
The forward spoke about James’ otherworldly training schedule, which began nearly three hours before team practice. Haslem said,
“If practice start at 10 o’clock, Bron done got to that mfer by 7:30… he done been in that weight room already, he done got his shots up, by the time you get to the gym, if it’s a 10 o’clock practice, you pull up like 8:30, this mf been in the gym for like a hour and a half two hours, now he getting his treatment, getting ready just to start for practice.”
The four-time MVP’s unrelenting desire to be the best is on par with greats like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, who were just as obsessed with outworking their teammates and every other player in the league. It’s this unmatched commitment that has helped him forge a career unlike any other in NBA history.
