Heat fans greet Whiteside with ‘We got shooters!’ chant. He says it got ‘misinterpreted’
The boos serenading him during pregame introductions were just the start of Hassan Whiteside’s unwelcome return to AmericanAirlines Arena on Sunday.
Every time the star center touched the ball, boos followed him. When Bam Adebayo blocked his shot in the first half, the crowd of 19,846 erupted into cheers. When he stepped to the free-throw line late in the Heat’s 122-111 win in Miami, the fans got creative.
“We got shooters!” they shouted over and over as Whiteside squared up to shoot. “We got shooters!”
The chant stems back to the day Whiteside was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers last year. After the trade went through, Whiteside posted a video on Instagram of himself shouting, “We got shooters!” He was excited to join the Trail Blazers to play with guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Most of the Miami fans inside the AAA for Whiteside’s first game back in South Florida made it clear they’re happy he’s gone and felt he slighted their team, although Whiteside insists it wasn’t meant as a dig at his former team.
“I don’t understand that. I just said, ‘We got shooters.’ That’s congratulating my team,” Whiteside said. “I didn’t say none of them guys can shoot. Like, me and Goran talk. We’re all cool. Them guys are phenomenal shooters. I never really understood that. I don’t really realize why they feel like it was like a dis toward them, like when I still text Bam, I still talk to [Josh Richardson], I still talk to [Derrick] Jones. They’re my brothers. I would never dis them or talk bad about them in no way, shape or form.
“‘We got shooters’ bothered me more than the boos. I think it got misinterpreted. ... I could’ve gone somewhere without shooters.”
Since Whiteside left, the Heat (26-10) have become one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league. On Sunday, Miami went 18 of 44 from three-point range. Guard Goran Dragic went 7 of 10. Forwards James Johnson, Duncan Robinson, Meyers Leonard and Tyler Herro all hit multiple three-pointers to help the Heat secure a double-digit win. Last year, the Heat missed the playoffs and finished with the 10th worst three-point percentage in the NBA.
The “We got shooters!” angle is only part of what made Miami fans happy to boo the 7-footer. Another part is because of what the trade opened up for the Heat. The deal cleared up the cap space Miami needed to sign Jimmy Butler. Whiteside’s departure opened the door for the Heat to move Adebayo into the starting lineup full time and the post player has blossomed into a potential All-Star this season.
Yet another part of it is because of how his time in Miami ended. The Heat missed out on the postseason and Whiteside was mostly glued to the bench for fourth quarters. His playing time fluctuated wildly. The Heat did not see eye-to-eye with the talented center, who openly expressed frustration with his playing time throughout the final years of his time with Miami.
The trade ultimately worked out well for both the Heat and Whiteside. Miami has become one of the league’s surprise contenders thanks to Adebayo’s development, and a total retooling around shooting, passing and youth. Whiteside is playing nearly 30 minutes per game for the injury-riddled Trail Blazers (15-22) and putting up All-Star numbers. Whiteside just would have liked to be remembered a little bit more positively.
“I’m a little disappointed with how the fans reacted, but it is what it is. There was cheers, too. It wasn’t all boos. I made playoff runs here. I put my heart here,” Whiteside said. “It wasn’t all boos, so you can’t really say nothing about the fans.”
This story was originally published January 5, 2020 at 9:46 PM.
