"I want you to address them by their names" - When Pat Riley gave a piece of unique advice to Udonis Haslem

In the NBA, every player has probably felt at some point that the referees were biased against them, and Udonis Haslem was no exception. In such instances, most coaches would advise their players to be more cautious and respectful towards them, but Pat Riley employed a unique approach. He instructed UD to be more assertive with the officials and make sure the latter were well aware of their place.

Haslem on how Riley motivated him to mend his ways

Speaking on his podcast, the 3-time NBA Champion revealed that during his rookie year, he felt that the refs were calling soft fouls against him solely because of his physical appearance. After noticing this pattern for the first two months of the 2003-04 season, Riley himself gave the blueprint to the 6'8" forward on how to stop the refs from 'f***ing with him.'

"Riles calls me in his office, I sat down, he slid this piece of paper to me. I looked at the piece of paper…I said, 'What the f**k is this?' He said, 'It's the names of all the refs. No more addressing them as hey refs. I want you to call their first and last names, and I want you to address them by their names,'" Halsem recalled. "He said this is gonna start the process from them f**king with you."

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Throughout his two-decade-long career with the Miami Heat, Haslem became intimately familiar with Pat's unwavering demeanor. Although the Florida native was never one to fear anyone, he once confessed that Riley was the only person in the NBA he was cautious about engaging with too frequently. Moreover, he even likened Pat to Don Corleone from The Godfather movie to illustrate how the coaching legend maintained a steadfast approach to his work.

Udonis has always held Riley at a high stature

Haslem has forever acknowledged Riley's significant influence on his career , his leadership of the Miami Heat to multiple championships, and his bold implementation of stern measures within the franchise.

While UD's career as a player might have ended, he has plenty of good memories about his time with Riley and his leadership, and perhaps most importantly, three NBA championship rings to show for it.

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