Gonna be honest—things have been looking rough for the Miami Heat lately. After suffering through their first double-digit losing streak in nearly two decades, the team finally got some much-needed relief on Tuesday night. The Heat took care of business at home, dominating the Golden State Warriors in a 112-86 blowout. And with Jimmy Butler making his return to Miami, you just knew emotions were running high.
While Bam Adebayo led the charge, the night also belonged to rookie big man Kel’el Ware. The young center put on a show, dropping 14 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double in six games—and his 11th of the season. But perhaps the most exciting part of his night? Earning a shoutout from none other than Shaquille O’Neal.
Now, Shaq doesn’t just hand out praise to every young big man. In fact, he’s been known to be pretty tough on them. But when TNT’s Adam Lefkoe asked him about Ware, Shaq made it clear—this kid is making an impression.
“I want to get his name correct. Kel’el Ware,” Shaq started, giving a nod to the similarity between the rookie’s first name and Superman’s Kryptonian name. “Really good role player. Very active. I’m surprised he’s just now starting out. Definitely embodying the Heat culture, what they do, play hard. Great conditioning.”
Over the last six games, Ware has averaged 14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and an impressive 65.6% shooting from the field. And Shaq took notice, breaking down his game and calling attention to the way Ware rolls hard to the basket and works his jump hook.
“It seems to me that he can do a lot,” O’Neal said. “I’d like to see him get more repetitions.”
Well, Shaq, it looks like that wish is being granted. Despite some recent experiments bringing Ware off the bench, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has kept his minutes steady, playing him 26.3 minutes per game this month after averaging 27.7 in February. Spoelstra sees the potential, and he’s making sure Ware gets his opportunities.
“You can create a lot of havoc (with Ware) in that dunker’s spot,” Spoelstra said. “That makes them re-think what they’re going to do with that matchup. Offensive rebounding, his crash percentage has gone up over the last three weeks. He’s got the IQ where he’s starting to see it. He’s earning more opportunities. He’s impacting the game. That’s the most important thing, and as a young guy, he’s starting to get there.”
Ware capped off his breakout night with a highlight-reel layup in the third quarter—one that had every sports show scrambling to add it to their Top 10 lists. The play-by-play man Brian Anderson summed it up in one word: “Unbelievable.”
Of course, Shaq had already given Ware his props by halftime. So it’s safe to say that the rookie’s phone was blowing up by the time the final buzzer sounded. And for the first time since late February, the Heat put together back-to-back wins. A small but important step in the right direction.
Before the game, Shaq also weighed in on the drama between Heat GM Pat Riley and Jimmy Butler. And while he had nothing but respect for Riley and what’s known as “Heat Culture,” he had to side with Butler on this one.
“One thing I know from personal experience is the Pat Riley Heat Culture—way or else. There’s nothing wrong with that, you know,” Shaq said. “But you know when you say to a guy like Jimmy, with all he’s done, with all the success he’s had here, ‘We’re not going to give you an extension’—of course, you know, emotions start to fly, and Jimmy started to act a different way…”
That’s why The Big Aristotle made a bold prediction: Butler would come out and drop 40 points on his old squad. But as they say in sports—“not so fast.” Butler finished the game with just 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists as the Warriors took the loss.
Looks like Jimmy didn’t quite have that revenge game moment. But for the Miami Heat, it was still a night to celebrate. A win, a standout performance from a rising star, and a little Shaq wisdom along the way. We’ll take it.