“Get y’all sh*t together! King ain’t here no more!” Pat Riley’s FIERY meetings after LeBron James’ departure from Miami Heat revealed

The Miami Heat reached celestial heights during LeBron James’ time.

“Get y’all sh*t together! King ain’t here no more!” Pat Riley’s FIERY meetings after LeBron James’ departure from Miami Heat revealed

LeBron James and Pat Riley

LeBron James was one dominant force when he played for the Miami Heat. The King won his first two championships, playing alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. His four seasons in Miami resulted in two titles and four Finals appearances. To put it into perspective, these four seasons were the peak of the franchise and also the peak of James at that point.

Following James’ departure from the South Beach, the Heat were on the verge of a possible rebuild. It got to a point where Pat Riley, former head coach of the Heat and team president held a meeting. Recently, Norris Cole and Udonis Haslem revealed the details of the meeting, as things started to get worse for Miami.

How many meetings we had when Bron left? It was tight in the building for a season. 'Get ya'll s*** together, the King ain't here no more'. He ain't want us to be friends with Bron none of that s***. We won two championships with the man, you want me to hate the m***********? I can't hate him, I can't do that.

Udonis Haslem said on The OGs Show

While Riley didn’t want any of the players to be friends with James, Haslem knew how valuable he was to the team, having led them to two title wins. The Heat went on to struggle the very next season after James left the squad. They finished 10th in the East with a record of 37-45. D-Wade, Chalmers, and Bosh were the only leaders that the team relied on, though couldn’t deliver during the 2014-15 season.

The Heat struggled immensely without LeBron James

Following the Heat’s disastrous season in 2015, the organization struggled to get back into their groove for the next few seasons. LeBron James was the primary scorer as well as the most dominant player on the team. Without James, the Heat went on to make a few more postseason appearances going as far as the second round. In 2019, Dwyane Wade announced his retirement as well.

The squad seemed like a playoff team at best. However, with the addition of Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo, the Heat were back on track. In the bubble, James alongside his Lakers faced his former team in the Finals. The King won his fourth ring, whereas the Heat had just got off to a new start.

They made another Finals appearance in 2023, becoming the second team in NBA history to make the Finals as an 8th-seeded team. Regardless of their past, following the chapter involving James, the Miami Heat have done great for themselves. It will be interesting to see them dominate in yet another deep postseason run.