Michael Jordan is one of the greatest athletes of all time. During his time with the Chicago Bulls, he was nothing short of dominant, and all throughout the 1990s, he did nothing but win. He won six championships in an eight-year period, taking two years off in the middle to pursue a career in baseball.
With the amount of stardom he earned, Jordan was a known figure around the globe, and his greatness is still respected to this day. He’s widely regarded as the best player in NBA history, and obviously, the Bulls retired his number. But they weren’t the only team. Jordan’s jersey is also in the Miami Heat’s rafters as well.
The team respected Jordan so much they felt the need to retire his number, but some players disagree with the move. Former Heat big man and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal recently voiced his displeasure with the decision.
“I hate the fact that they hang up other people’s jerseys,” O’Neal said via his podcast, ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq.’ “I hope I’m not disrespecting anybody by this term. This thing is ours. This is what we built. Michael Jordan ain’t never play for the Heat. Bill Russell ain’t never play for the Heat. You did your own thing with your little Celtics family and Chicago family. But this Miami thing? I was one of the original championship families… this is our thing. So I don’t like that, personally.”
Heat Culture is a real thing, and based on the opinion of O’Neal, if you didn’t experience it and play in it, your number shouldn’t be in the rafters.
