Toppin is a wildcard in the contest. The other three competitors – Defending Slam Dunk champion Mac McClung, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, and Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. – are all fairly well-known names, making the Knicks’ G-League star the odd man out. However, that could work in his favor, as he could surprise his competitors and the judges with his skill set.

In 2022, Toppin’s vertical jump was measured at 45 inches at the University of Kentucky’s pro day. The forward has the bounce to pull off impressive dunks. However, it remains to be seen whether he can dethrone McClung and beat Brown and Jaquez Jr. to take home the award.

What is Jacob Toppin’s wingspan?

Jacob Toppin is a massive human being. He stands 6-foot-9-inches tall and has a ridiculous wingspan of 6-foot-11-inches. Pair that with a 45-inch vertical jump, and the rookie has all the tools he needs to pull off some jaw-dropping dunks.

What is Jaylen Brown’s Vertical Jump?

Jaylen Brown is the oldest and most accomplished competitor in the 2024 Slam Dunk contest. The Celtics star isn’t known for dunking. However, his participation suggests that he believes he has the skill set to get the win. Brown’s vertical jump was last measured in the Celtics’ 2021 preseason camp and it was tallied at 40 inches. The 6-foot-7-inch forward could potentially showcase more bounce than that during the Slam Dunk contest.

What is Mac McClung’s Vertical Jump?

At 6-foot-2-inches, Mac McClung is the shortest competitor in the 2024 Slam Dunk Contest. However, he’s also the defending champion, making him the benchmark that the other three players will be judged on.

McClung’s vertical can go as high as 48 inches. The Magic player can bounce on the basketball court and is the favorite to win the event. If he wins, he’ll join Michael Jordan, Jason Richardson, Nate Robinson, and Zach Lavine on the list of players who have successfully defended their Slam Dunk contest title.

What is Jaime Jacquez Jr.’s Vertical Jump?

Heat rookie Jaime Jacquez Jr. has become a vital player for his team in his debut season. He’s averaging 12.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in only 29.5 minutes of game time. While Jacquez’s impact on the Heat is commendable, his chances in the Slam Dunk contest are questionable. He has the lowest vertical of any competitor at only 39 inches. However, underestimating the rookie could be a massive mistake. He has already surpassed expectations on the court, and perhaps he could do the same in the Slam Dunk contest.

Is Jacob Toppin Obi Toppin’s brother?

Jacob Toppin is the younger brother of Indiana Pacers star Obi Toppin. Jacob signed with the Knicks as an undrafted free agent and has spent most of his debut season in the G-League with the Westchester Knicks.

Obi was the franchise’s top pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He spent three seasons with the franchise but failed to live up to his hype. He averaged seven points and three rebounds during his time with the Knicks and was traded to the Pacers for two second-round picks in the 2023 offseason.

With the 2024 All-Star weekend set to be held in Indiana, Obi will undoubtedly be in Jacob’s corner during the Dunk Contest and the siblings could showcase a dunk routine featuring them both.

Did Obi Toppin Win a Slam Dunk Contest?

Jacob is aiming to emulate his brother Obi in winning the Slam Dunk contest. The older brother participated in the 2021 and 2022 Slam Dunk Contests. He finished runner-up in 2021 but managed to get his hands on the trophy the following year.

Jacob will take inspiration and guidance from his brother and hopefully emulate him in winning the Slam Dunk contest. They could become the first pair of siblings to win the contest, and that should serve as motivation for the rookie.

The post Jacob Toppin Vertical Jump and Other FAQs About Knicks’ 2024 Slam Dunk Contest Participant appeared first on The SportsRush.

Even though Jimmy Butler has been injury-free for the past two months, he missed out on the previous contest due to “personal reasons”. Moments before the Celtics-Heat matchup, Butler’s agent issued a statement, disclosing that the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals MVP was dealing with a death in his family.

“Jimmy Butler has been granted a leave of absence as he deals with the death of a family member. Jimmy and his family ask for privacy at this point in time as they navigate this loss. Updates will be given when appropriate,” the statement read.

Statement on Jimmy Butler per his agent, Bernie Lee

Jimmy Butler has been granted a leave of absence as he deals with the death of a family member. Jimmy and his family ask for privacy at this point in time as they navigate this loss. Updates will be given when appropriate.

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 11, 2024

Unfortunately, fans of the Miami Heat will not witness their star player suit up tonight as well. To make matters worse, Butler is joined by Josh Richardson, Terry Rozier, and Dru Smith, all of whom are set to be “out”.

Jimmy Butler has been terrific in his last five games

Following the announcement of the All-Star Team, Jimmy Butler shifted gears and elevated his game. After recording only 19.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in December, Jimmy Buckets improved to 22.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in January.

In the four games that he’s played this month, Butler has been unstoppable. While he also had his career-best streak of hitting a three-pointer in 10 straight games, the guard displayed his two-way capabilities and averaged 21.3 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in February, while leading the Florida side to 3 out of 4 wins.

Even though the defending Eastern Conference champs have a winning 9-7 record without Butler, they will not be entering the contests as the favorites. Apart from the fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. are on a two-game win streak, the Bucks also defeated the Jimmy Butler-less Heat in November.

Fortunately, the Miami Heat have a 2.5-game cushion as they sit 8^th on the Eastern Conference standings. Win or lose, Bam Adebayo and Co. are not going to witness any movement in standings.

The post Is Jimmy Butler Playing Tonight Against the Bucks? Feb 13th Availability on Heat Superstar Following Personal Tragedy appeared first on The SportsRush.

After missing several games in the first half of the season, Butler has been relatively injury-free for the past month. However, he has been added to the Heat’s February 11 injury report before tonight’s contest at Kaseya Center. The 34-year-old has been listed as “questionable” for “personal reasons”.

The Heat is listing Butler as questionable for tomorrow’s home game vs. Celtics because of personal reasons. But the hope remains that he’ll be able to play. https://t.co/RacrtlObxm

— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) February 10, 2024

Jimmy Butler has suited up for each of the Heat’s last 13 matchups. However, after the contest against the San Antonio Spurs, Butler was absent from practice on Friday and Saturday. Despite his excused absence, team personnel are hopeful that the 6ft 7” forward will kit up tonight.

Butler’s “personal reasons” have not been disclosed to the public. However, the 28-24 Heat will need their veteran forward to compete against a dominant Boston side.

Jimmy Butler is averaging only 15.5 points per game against the Celtics this season

Jimmy Butler had a terrific performance against the Boston Celtics in the 2023 postseason. As the #8 seed, Butler put up 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 6.1 assists to upset Jayson Tatum and Co. 4-3 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

However, he has failed to put up an inspiring performance in each of the two outings against the Boston Celtics this season. On 27^th October, the six-time All-Star only managed to record 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists as the Heat suffered a 111-119 loss. On 25^th January, Butler blew his chance of redeeming himself. Playing 29 minutes, the six-time All-Star could only rack up 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists.

The Boston Celtics are the best team in the NBA with a 40-12 record. Considering the fact that Joe Mazzulla’s boys have won 8 out of their last 10 games and have none of their rotational players on the injury report, the Cs will enter the contest as the favorites.

Despite not being favored to win, the Heat will fight tooth and nail to grab a victory. Currently, they are sitting at the 8^th spot in the East. However, a win could have a significant impact, improving their chances of rising in the standings.

The post Is Jimmy Butler Playing Tonight vs the Celtics? Feb 11th Injury Report for Heat Star Ahead of 2023 ECF Rematch appeared first on The SportsRush.

A day before the highly anticipated Western Conference Semi-Finals, Shaquille O’Neal and six other Lakers would sneak off to have some fun at Ricks. Ricks was a popular club back in the 90s, a place where drugs and prostitution ran rampant.

According to the manager of the joint, several seven-foot men had come into the facility that evening, buying dances for themselves(reported to Jean Godden of the Seatle Times). The men would reportedly spend over $2000 on dances, even deciding to sign autographs for fans who were also present.

Dominique Weitzel, a fan who was also present at the establishment on the said evening, did confirm that he had met some NBA stars but refused to take the names of the players. In his book Shaq Uncut, the Big Fella recalls Weitzel’s statement,

” I don’t want to throw my boys under the bus.”

Godden, who was assigned to the story by the Seattle Times, was unsure as to why Weitzel would choose not to out the Lakers players. Concluding that, Weitzel was most probably trying to protect Shaq, as the big man had just signed a large contract with Scholastic Inc.

The rumours on the streets would soon reach the Lakers locker room, where Coach Del Harris was furious. Unlike Phil( Phil Jackson), who was rather laid back in some instances, Harris loved running a tight ship and expected a certain amount of professionalism from his players, something that Shaq wasn’t too keen on following.

Shaquille O’Neal did the same in Miami

The Miami Heat has developed a ‘culture’, which stands synonymous with ‘hard work’ and ‘determination’. The ‘Heat Culture’ as many put it, seems to be a fabrication of the recent two decades, as according to Gilbert Arenas, the Heat Culture surely didn’t exist in the early 2000’s and 90’s.

In fact, during an episode of Gil’s Arenas, the Washington legend even exposed Shaq and the Heat for their exploits during that time. Talking about it further, Arenas said,

“In Dwyane Wade’s second year, they got Shaq, they didn’t win. And then they bring in, Antoine Walker, all the veterans, the club-heads. They were so good and talented. You look at that roster, 12 out of the 15 were lottery picks like they were so talented that they didn’t listen to that man [Riley],”

From the looks of it, Shaq didn’t change much after getting transferred to Miami. The Diesel seemed to have found a way to have his fun in Miami as well, even though Pat Riley reportedly spied on every one of his players. But with so much talent on the team, it was hard even for Riley to keep the band disciplined and playing to a single tune.

The post Concerned About Shaquille O’Neal’s Deal with Scholastic Inc., a Lakers Fan Refused to Spill the Tea on 7ft 1″ Star’s $2000 Strip Club Outing in 1998 appeared first on The SportsRush.

Back in 1994, Riley was associated with the New York Knicks as the head coach. During a regular season game, one of the Knicks players, Charles Smith came into the locker room wearing a suit, as he was listed as being “out” due to an arthritic knee. Chris Herring, now a writer with Sports Illustrated, was a beat writer covering the Knicks back in the 90s and happened to witness the exchange between Riley and Smith.

Writing about the exchange, Herring’s article read,

“When Smith strolled in, Riley stopped writing. ‘Charles, if you could give me one minute tonight – just one – to win a championship, could you do it?’ Riley asked Smith in front of his teammates. Smith wore a surprised look but said he could. ‘Then what in the hell are you doing in that suit?’ Riley asked as the room fell awkwardly silent. Not knowing exactly what to do, Smith went to his locker to throw on his uniform as Riley resumed writing.”

This little exchange portrays the kind of coaching philosophy Riley goes by. Even though Riley looked and dressed like an ‘Armani man’, nothing about the crew chief was fashionable, as he believed in everything being “earned” through blood, sweat and tears.

With many teams such as the Spurs and The Clippers being heavily into ‘load management’, Riley and the Heat still practise the old-school way of doing things. Many recent players such as Bam Adebayo talked about how the Heat practise hard every day, often going so hard that they need proper padding and protective gear to ensure that the players don’t have season-ending injuries.

Riley being at the helm of the Miami Heat, undoubtedly has redefined their culture, as the same mentality continues down the stretch, many years later.

Shaquille O’Neal once detailed how Miami Heat were under Pat Riley

The Miami Heat and Pat Riley are as inseparable as Gregg Popovich and the Spurs are. Before Riley, The Heat were….decent. The franchise and team didn’t necessarily have any identity, they weren’t feared, and they lacked pedigree that the teams like The Bulls, Celtics and Lakers had. But once Riley stepped into the Miami locker room, everything changed, and change often scares people, just ask the Miami Heat players from back then.

Shaquille O’Neal, who joined the team back in 2004, recalls how tense the Heat locker room was. Even though Shaq didn’t fear Riley, he could still sense the pressure that existed due to the legendary coach. Talking about it further in his book Shaq Uncut, O’Neal said,

“I don’t want to call Miami a jail, but everyone was walking around on eggshells. They were all scared of Pat [Riley]. I went in there hoping to give them some life. I wasn’t afraid of anybody—not even the great Pat Riley.”

According to Shaq, Riley had the attitude of a dictator, he wanted this to go his way, and that was the only way. Riley had a rule that his guards had to maintain a body fat percentage of 6% or under, and his centres had to have a body fat percentage of 10% or under. Shaq who had never been that lean, was expected to match the requirements, causing O’Neal to go through hell.

But that wasn’t all, as Shaq wasn’t even allowed to party and enjoy himself to his heart’s content. Riley would often call Shaq into his office, and let him know that he knew exactly where he was last night, often listing down details of places and times. This led Shaq to believe that Riley had a tab on each of his players, even acquiring Riley to spy on his players in his book Shaq Uncut.

The post “What in the Hell Are You Doing in That Suit?”: When Pat Riley Called Out Knicks Player Over Bench Attire appeared first on The SportsRush.

Explaining how the players segregated themselves into smaller groups, Garnett said,

“Wherever the name tags were, we moved them… We’re sitting right here doing what we do. Bron, Chris Bosh, and D-Wade right here, they doing what they do. Jameer Nelson, Dwight [Howard], and Rashaad Lewis, they sitting right there… And then we looked up and everybody was like, ‘We was cool, but it wasn’t cool.'”

“It was just like some tension in the air,” Pierce added. While Garnett and Pierce tried to find the most apt way to describe the players’ feelings about stars from the other teams, Allen encapsulated it in one line, saying,

“I ain’t f**king with these dudes.”

The All-Star locker room had a different atmosphere back in the day.

Watch the latest episode of Ticket & The Truth on our YouTube. pic.twitter.com/yLZKTDFu9z

— All the Smoke Productions (@allthesmokeprod) February 8, 2024

Garnett explained that the players put their differences aside to play together on the court but couldn’t hide their hostility towards each other. He also claimed that he refused to sign jerseys that did not belong to his teammates. The animosity between these groups was palpable. They were all in a slugfest for control of the East and couldn’t keep their differences aside and fully immerse in the joy of the All-Star weekend.

Garnett, Pierce, and Allen are trying to explain the cultural shift in the NBA here. While modern players from rival teams hug it out and laugh with each other, and swap jerseys after the game, there was no friendly chitchat or endearment between All-Star teammates back in the day.

Kevin Garnett revealed how much the Celtics despised LeBron James

After LeBron James joined the Miami Heat in 2010, the battle for supremacy in the Eastern Conference commenced between the Big 3 in Miami and the Boston Celtics. The two teams combined to deliver one of the best seven-game series in the 2012 playoffs. With the series tied at 2-2, the Celtics won the crucial Game 5 and had the chance to close the series at home and head to the NBA Finals. During an appearance on the Bill Simmons podcast in 2019, Garnett credited the win in Miami to Boston mentally breaking James. He said,

“We broke LeBron. We didn’t give a f**k about LeBron. We didn’t fear LeBron and we didn’t think he could beat the all five of us. That’s how it felt.” 

The Heat won Game 6 on the road, courtesy of James’ incredible 45-point outing. His incredible performance is often recognized as his best in the playoffs.

James’ 31-point performance in Game 7 helped the Heat beat the Celtics 101-88 and advance to the NBA Finals for the second year running. Garnett hinted that the officiating in Games 6 and 7 reeked of foul play and admits he’s still upset about that series loss.

The resentment that the Heat and the Celtics had towards each other was apparent. Neither team wanted the other to succeed, especially at the expense of their glory. While the teams acknowledged the talent of the other roster, they did not respect them and wanted to beat them badly.

The post “I Ain’t F**king with These Dudes”: Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce Describe Sharing a Locker Room with LeBron James and Co at the All Star Game appeared first on The SportsRush.

My favorite Kevin Garnett highlight pic.twitter.com/ez9p0MqDHD

— (@HeatvsHaters) May 19, 2019

The 2013-2014 Brooklyn Nets was a solid team, filled with some big names. Besides Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce leading the pack, the roster included Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko, and Jason Terry. The star-studded team finished the regular season with an impressive 44-38 record, good enough to clinch the #6 seed in the Eastern Conference.

After defeating the Toronto Raptors in the opening round of the postseason, Jason Kidd’s boys were set to face the Miami Heat in the Conference Semifinals. Because the Nets had already defeated the Florida side in all four of their regular season matchups, Pierce and KG felt good about their chances. The following is what they said on the matter recently.

“We actually thought we could win it in Brooklyn… We beat Miami four times that year during the regular season. So we thought when we get them in the playoffs, we can get them because we had Joe Johnson, Deron Williams. So we thought this was going to extend us a little more. But it didn’t work that way,” Pierce said.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by KG: Certified (@kgcertified)

Joe Johnson decided to give his two cents on the discussed topic as well. In the comments section of the post, the 42-year-old recollected the stellar performance that James had, especially in Game 4 of that series.

Dam! Bron had that crazy game 4 fellas smdh! We had a good chance…

Joe Johnson on the Nets losing to LeBron and the Nets in the Playoffs pic.twitter.com/zpFwqVGKRI

— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) February 8, 2024

At no point in the series did the Miami Heat feel intimidated by the Nets, despite having a 0-4 regular season record against them in that campaign. LeBron James recorded a staggering 30 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game to lead the Miami Heat to a 4-1 series win.

King James had the best performance of the series in Game 4. On 12^th May 2014, the 6ft 9” forward played for 43:28 minutes and erupted for 49 points on 66.7% shooting from the field. Ultimately, LBJ finished the postseason with an impressive stat line – 27.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce believe that LeBron James is the GOAT

Representing the Boston Celtics for a large part of their careers, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were eliminated in the postseason by LeBron James on numerous occasions. Despite James being a huge reason that the duo never won more than one title, they were humble enough to appreciate James’ greatness.

Back in the 2022-2023 season, LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. By adding such a big record under his belt, Pierce and Garnett admitted that Bron had surpassed Michael Jordan for the prestigious GOAT title.

Paul: This conversation, man… He might be the GOAT. I think that right there, probably solidified it. And this is the reason why – he put himself in a place, where I don’t see nobody passing him in our lifetime in scoring.

Garnett: I mean, we put Cat (Michael Jordan) when Cat was King of Kings. It is what it is, this is the changing of the guard of everything we’ve known the game to be and this is the first part of the transition of now Bron being king of the hill.

The Hall-Of-Famers aren’t making any preposterous claims. Having played at the highest level for more than 20 years, James has racked up one of the most decorated resumes in NBA history – 20 All-Star appearances, 19 All-NBA selections, four MVPs, four championships, four Finals MVPs, among numerous other accolades. At age 39, James still seems to have a lot left in his tank. Certainly, the future Hall-Of-Famer will add a few more silverware to his trophy cabinet before retiring.

The post “Damn LeBron James Had That Crazy Game 4”: Joe Johnson Reminisces Over Losing To The Heat Alongside Kevin Garnett And Paul Pierce In 2014 appeared first on The SportsRush.

“If the Heat’s self-described ‘Big Three’ [of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro] is broken up at some point, it seems unlikely to happen before Thursday’s trade deadline, barring something unforeseen.”

The trio have been together in Miami for the last five seasons. Miami has fielded inquiries for Adebayo and Herro in the past but drove them away with their lofty demands of multiple All-Star caliber players and a mountain of draft capital. Butler has never been made available in trade talks and will likely never be. The Heat have faith in the trio that has been part of their last two trips to the NBA Finals.

Jimmy Butler casually shooting no look threes pic.twitter.com/RR6AWoDJdk

— JJJMuse (@JaimeJaquezMuse) February 8, 2024

The Heat rarely make any massive moves during the season. They already bolstered their squad last month with the addition of guard Terry Rozier from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Kyle Lowry and their 2027 first-round draft pick. Miami’s front office hasn’t called other teams and made significant trade offers since acquiring the former Hornets star. They could eye a bench player or two but will likely remain inactive on trade deadline day.

Heat trusting Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro for now

The Heat are currently 27-24 (THEY ARE PLAYING RIGHT NOW AGAINST THE SPURS) and are seventh in the Eastern Conference standings. That’s not ideal for a team with championship aspirations and four players on the roster earning between $23 million and $46 million. However, they were in the same spot last season.

The Heat finished seventh in the standings with a 44-38 record and lost their first play-in game against the Atlanta Hawks. They qualified for the playoffs as the eighth seed after beating the Toronto Raptors in their second play-in game. Their poor regular season form and loss to the Hawks dented people’s trust in the roster.

However, Butler, Adebayo, and the team shockingly made it to the NBA Finals after beating the #1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs, the New York Knicks in the Conference semifinals, and the #2 seed Boston Celtics in the Conference championship. They fell short in the Finals against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets but earned everyone’s admiration for their arduous journey to the championship series.

The Heat also made it that far without Herro, who was limited to only one game in the playoffs due to a fractured hand.

Butler, Adebayo, and Herro have one more shot at ending the Heat’s 11-year wait for an NBA title. However, Pat Riley must look to bolster the roster beyond just Terry Rozier if this team is to truly win it all this year. So, while the big three may be untradeable, every other asset in the lineup may not share the same status.

Given the swings that the Miami Heat have pulled in the past, it will be interesting to see what they will pull off next.

The post Miami Heat Trade Rumors: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro Will Likely Remain Teammates Even After Deadline appeared first on The SportsRush.

Herro has had an injury-riddled season so far. A shoulder injury sidelined him for 19 games. However, the 24-year-old returned to the lineup in mid-December. Since the 18^th December clash against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the guard has started all the games before missing out on the Heat’s previous clash.

The former Kentucky Wildcat was a last-minute scratch ahead of the Heat-Clippers contest. Initially, Herro was downgraded to “questionable” with a ‘headache’. But merely 15 minutes later, the team announced that the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year would miss out on the fixture.

However, Heat Nation have received some pleasant news ahead of their matchup against the Orlando Magic. The medical staff of the team has listed Tyler Herro as “probable” in the latest injury report. Barring any last-minute setbacks, the Heat should have Herro in tonight’s contest at Kaseya Center.

#ORLvsMIA INJURY UPDATE: Tyler Herro (migraine) is listed as probable to play in tomorrow night’s game vs the Magic.

Duncan Robinson (concussion protocol) is listed as questionable.

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 5, 2024

Even though players missing games due to injuries is a common theme in the NBA every season, you don’t see many stars miss games due to migraine/headache related concerns. Therefore, Herro missing the game due to a headache caused concerns before the trade deadline.

NBA Twitter speculated a trade as Tyler Herro missed a game due to headache

The Miami Heat have been in rumors to acquire an All-Star caliber player before the 8^th February trade deadline. According to numerous reports, Tyler Herro is one of the players who has been added to the trading block. With Herro sitting out of the contest merely a few days before the trade deadline, it didn’t take long before NBA Twitter began speculating a trade. Users flooded the Heat’s X (formerly “Twitter”) comment section with similar statements.

Something here seems fishy

— tru_talk (@dolphins_talks) February 4, 2024

Trade in the works?

— Raining Snow (@rainingsnow3) February 5, 2024

cuz got traded

— swaykon aka Mr.4thQuarter (@SwayBreezay) February 4, 2024

Tyler Herro has been averaging 21 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. Once the trade deadline passes, the sharpshooter will be free from all the uncertainties surrounding him and could find a way to improve his stats drastically.

The post Is Tyler Herro Playing Tonight vs Magic? Feb 6th Injury Report for Heat Star Ahead of NBA Trade Deadline appeared first on The SportsRush.

Back in December of 2013, the Miami Heat were hosting the Indiana Pacers at the Kaseya Centre. The Heat were looking to go back-to-back, and Paul George and the Pacers were a roadblock in the way of achieving that. During their December 18th meeting, LeBron and the Heat were looking sloppy, as PG3 was torching them from the tip.

After a defensive miscommunication between James and Chalmers, the duo found themselves jawing at each other on the bench during the next time out. Chalmers revealed that the management made the duo patch up after the incident. Talking about it further, Chalmers said,

“We talked about it, the organization made us talk about it, just made sure everything was smooth….they made sure that I was not going to say nothing crazy in the media.”

“We talked about it, the organization made us talk about it, just made sure everything was smooth.” @mchalmers15 on if his yelling match with LeBron ever escalated.

: https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g pic.twitter.com/428TIc12K3

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 1, 2024

The duo of Chalmers and LeBron would go onto win two Championships together, putting aside any on court difference the two might have had. It makes sense that the Heat organization asked Chalmers to extend the Olive Branch after the incident, as it’s no secret that LeBron was the face of not only the team, but of the league, and the Heat would have liked to retain him past his 2014 contract.

The mission with Miami is always winning, and they like to do it with a certain culture and chemistry, so it’s no surprise that the Heat thought it necessary, that their players squash their beef as soon as possible, privately.

The situation between Chalmers and LeBron James

The Miami Heat had an epic run between 2011-2014, bagging two Championships in the process. But a common criticism that the Heat often faced was that their stars were too passive, especially LeBron James. LeBron who was undoubtedly the best player in the early 2010’s, often faced extreme media scrutiny, as he took reigns of the Miami Heat offense.

The Heat bagged the 2012 Championship but still hadn’t reached their potential quite yet, as Wade, Bosh and LeBron were still playing a “you first” style of basketball. Chalmers, who was a role player on the team, didn’t appreciate the passive playstyle and even decided to call LeBron out on one occasion.

During a match against the Pacers back in December 2013, Chalmers chewed LeBron out on the bench, after the duo had a serious miscommunication on the defensive end. Recalling the incident, Chalmers told a media correspondent,

“I told him to stop playing like a b**ch. At that moment, everybody was just complaining and nobody wanted to take accountability.”

These comments from Chalmers ended up breaking the ice between LeBron and the rest of the team, as the King went off, leading the Heat to a 97-94 victory over the Pacers.

The post “Organization Made Us Talk About it”: LeBron James’ Teammate Opens Up About the Aftermath of Infamous Sideline Spat appeared first on The SportsRush.