Udonis Haslem said Anthony Edwards would have been better off waiting until the game was over. The former Miami Heat forward, now an NBA analyst for Prime Video, criticized Edwards after the Minnesota Timberwolves guard walked to the San Antonio Spurs bench during a timeout in the fourth quarter of Game 6 and shook hands with coaches and players one by one.
The Spurs had just beaten Minnesota 139-109 to close out the Western Conference semifinals and advance to the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Haslem, who played 20 NBA seasons with the Heat and is finishing his first season with Prime Video, said he would not have made the same move with eight minutes left on the clock.
“As a leader, I would not have walked down there and shook their hands,” Haslem said on the NBA on Prime broadcast after the game. He added that, in his view, he would have waited until the final buzzer before offering congratulations to the opposing team and its coaching staff. “As a leader of my troops and my guys, I would not have shown that weakness. The game is not over. I’ve got eight minutes left. I still got smoke coming out my ears. … Let me calm down for those eight minutes since I’m not in, and then after those eight minutes, I’ll go down there, and I’ll congratulate them and their coaching staff.”
Haslem’s comments fit the role he has carved out on television. Before joining Prime Video, he worked for and NBA TV, and longtime teammate Dwyane Wade encouraged him to try broadcasting after his playing career ended. Haslem said he has tried to keep that balance of honesty and restraint on air, explaining that he has been able to “straddle that line of being authentic, being honest and being able to give constructive criticism without throwing guys under the bus and trying to embarrass guys.”
He also framed the issue as one of loyalty to the bench players who were still riding the moment. “In the middle of the game, when I got guys that have sat on the bench and cheered me on (going into the game for garbage time)? No, I’m gonna sit there and cheer those guys on,” Haslem said. “I’m gonna put that energy back into those guys, and then, when the game is over, I’ll go over there and shake their hand. That’s just the way I handle things. I’m a little bit different. I’m a little bit old-school. I understand there’s a different generation, but I don’t think if they were beating San Antonio, Wemby (Victor Wembanyama) would have shook his hand with eight minutes left.”
The exchange underscores the split between a newer, looser style of sportsmanship and the harder edge of a player who built his reputation on the old-school code of locker-room leadership. Haslem said he can still live in both worlds, calling himself “that OG, that mentor-type guy” while also doing the analyst’s job. For now, though, he made clear where he stands on a gesture made before the final whistle: if the game is still going, the handshake should wait.
