When word broke of former Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem having dissed human rights champion and sometimes Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Bill Russell in a pregame hype speech, people were rightfully irked at Haslem for his insensitivity.
Shared during a memory he shared on his “The OGs” podcast, Haslem has since offered a qualified mea culpa for his words against Russell — but emphasis on qualified. “Let me talk on this one time,” began the Heat lifer via SI’s Anthony Pasciolla. “First, as a black man, I understand what Bill Russell has done for us. Aside from basketball, what he has done for us as a black man just for us to move forward in life.”
“I have a lot of respect. Love what he’s done on the basketball court as well. Being a champion, I’m all about winning,” he continued. “If I apologize to anybody, it’d be Bill Russell’s family.”
Celtics Lab 236: Projecting season-long hardware at 2023-24's midpoint with Kwani Lunis https://t.co/MN1NEd7w1T pic.twitter.com/unqku17fYH
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“The Boston people, y’all got a better chance of wrestling an alligator,” shared Haslem. “I’m not apologizing to you, mother (expletive), for nothing,”
“But Bill Russell’s family, I will apologize because that might have came off as insensitive in the heat of the moment, but I got a lot of love and a lot of respect for Bill Russell, so as a man, if I came off wrong, I apologize. You Boston mother (expletive), (expletive) you.”
Fair enough, as far as we’re concerned.
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