Gilbert Arenas does not believe in the largely believed perception that the Miami Heat have a distinct NBA culture, which leads to their success. He challenged the concept of Heat Culture, using the 2006 Championship team as an example, given the star cast they had and how they would go to the strip club and party without any consequences because of their star power.
“The team they had in Dwyane Wade’s second year when they brought in Shaq and didn’t win. After that. they brought in Antoine Walker, all the veterans, and club heads. They were so good and talented. If you look at that roster, 12 out of the 15 were first-round lottery picks. They were so talented, that they didn’t listen to that man (Pat Riley), they were in the strip clubs every night. They had a basketball court and a barbershop in there because they were there so much. Where was the Heat Culture then?”
Norris Cole spoke about his time on the Heat and mentioned accountability, to which Arenas brought up that LeBron James wasn’t made to live by every single rule of ‘Heat Culture’ during his time there because of his star status. Cole, who was teammates with LeBron, agreed to the same and explained why they need to let superstars have some leeway because they pay you back on the court.
Arenas’ larger point about Heat Culture only existing when there’s a lack of stars is somewhat true, but as Cole reiterated, nobody was a star in practice and everyone was made to work just as hard. Even if some of the behavioral policies were changed for certain star players, as Arenas has previously mentioned the clubbing habits of past Heat superstars, nobody was allowed to cheat the game.
That would explain why ‘Heat Culture‘ leads to the development of so many young players who become rotational contributors overnight.
LeBron James Needed ‘Heat Culture’ To Become A Winner
LeBron James had a few difficult years to start his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. While he had solidified himself as a two-time MVP in Cleveland, carrying the team to the playoffs and even the Finals on his back, he knew he couldn’t win with the organization at the time. This led to his controversial move to the Miami Heat, where he joined the winning culture of Pat Riley alongside the returning Dwyane Wade and Raptors’ big man Chris Bosh.
James recently opened up on the motivation behind his Heat move, and he had a simple answer.
“I came here for one reason and for one reason only: to win championships. That was my only goal. That’s the only reason that I teamed up with D-Wade and Bosh. Because I felt like I couldn’t do it in Cleveland. So I had an opportunity to be a free agent, I did what I thought was best not only for my career but for me at that point in time. I was 25, so I come down here and I get an opportunity to learn, instill what I have learned.”
James did recently say he would have been one of the greatest players of all time but would have fewer championships if he never left Cleveland. Thankfully, he did get to bring a title to Cleveland in 2016. Whether that was because of the lessons he learned in Miami or was a sign of the peak of his powers is something we’ll never know for sure.
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