Udonis Haslem Fires Back At Paul Pierce After Retired Jersey Comments

Retired players Udonis Haslem and Paul Pierce exchange barbs over jersey retirement

It was only a matter of time before Udonis Haslem came back with a response. 

Moments after Paul Pierce chose to question why Haslem's jersey was retired by the Miami Heat last week, a reply was evident. Haslem responded to the now viral post with this: 

He wrote on Instagram: “My first reaction was to choose violence but I'm gon spare cause I know you ain’t like that. You're entitled to your opinion my boy!!!!”

The comments were in response what Pierce said on a post by retired player Stephen Jackson. Pierce hinted Haslem wasn't deserving of having his jersey raised in the rafters at Kaseya Center. 

"This one given bro, just saying," Pierce wrote. 

Pierce and Haslem have a longstanding feud, dating to when Haslem referred to Pierce as a "studio gangster" during the early portion of the decade.

Despite Pierce's shade, Haslem joined a star-studded list of players to have their jersey retired in Miami. It includes Dwyane Wade, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Hardaway, and Chris Bosh.

“You all got the money on me crying, don’t y’all? I know you all think I’m going to cry,” Haslem said. “Yeah, it’s hard. It’s hard. It’s hard. Heat Nation, it’s been an absolute honor, man.”

The three-time NBA champion retired after 20 seasons with the team. He was named the Vice President of Basketball Development in Nov. 2023.

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat, a Fan Nation channel for Sports Illustrated. He has covered the NBA since 2010.

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