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“I definitely had to put out a fire” – Udonis Haslem on fallout from his Tyler Herro comments
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- “I definitely had to put out a fire” – Udonis Haslem on fallout from his Tyler Herro comments
It was one of the biggest stories of the past NBA offseason. Former Miami Heat teammates Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo were reportedly involved in a physical altercation in Las Vegas.
As it turns out, Herro , now with the Milwaukee Bucks, has had another run-in (albeit a far more harmless one) with somebody connected to the Heat.
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Enter Udonis Haslem.
Wearing two hats in Miami
Haslem recently sat down with Jabari Young for Forbes' "The Enterprise Zone." The particular subject came up while they discussed his life after basketball. His move into television, for one. And the potential conflict of interest that can come with it.
UD still works for the Heat as vice president of basketball development and sometimes has to give his opinion on players from his own franchise.
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The former 6'8″ forward told Young he tries to be honest and fair in those situations. That can come with consequences, though. Every now and then, "somebody will knock on your door."
Haslem even pointed to a clear example in Herro, the 6'5″ scoring guard who was eventually included in the trade package that brought Giannis Antetokounmpo to Florida.
The sixth man take that stung
Back in May 2024, Haslem went on air and weighed in on Herro's role with the Heat. Should he come off the bench "as opposed to being a starter" ? Haslem's answer was the former, stating at the time, "I think that's a great role for Tyler."
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UD said it happened when he first started out in media. He also admitted that "it rubbed Tyler the wrong way."
"I definitely had to put out a fire," Haslem described the situation.
Herro and Haslem shared the floor in 22 games , winning 16 of them, so there is a real connection there. UD also called the Bucks star his boy and made it clear how much he loves him.
Still, that didn't change Haslem's opinion of Herro as a player. His job is to give his basketball analysis as objectively as possible. Especially now, as a TV analyst with Amazon Prime Video. Herro didn't seem to see it that way at first, though. What changed his mind? Haslem eventually made the effort to clear the air.
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From friction to a lesson learned
Haslem said he started by calling his former teammate. Then he went over to Herro's house. They got a workout in first. Breakfast came next, along with "a conversation" about Haslem's comments on the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year coming off the bench for the Heat.
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UD didn't back down in that moment, either. He gave Herro some context behind his remarks but made it clear he still stood by them.
"I stood on what I said," he emphasized.
Haslem did meet Herro halfway, though, telling him that none of it was meant to devalue or hurt him. For Haslem, it was important that the 26-year-old understood that.
He did, according to UD. More than likely, that was a big reason why they quickly "moved on from that."
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It even had a positive effect on Haslem himself. The 20-year NBA veteran now calls the whole thing "a learning experience."
At the end of the day, every player of Herro's stature has a big ego. And when you hurt that ego, these kinds of conversations are necessary to patch things up.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
