'Am I doing the right thing here with my life' - Keyon Dooling was rethinking his life choices when he joined the Heat

After spending his first four seasons in the NBA playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, point guard Keyon Dooling found himself returning to play in his home state of Florida after signing on to play for the Miami Heat. Although the 6'3" guard from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, enjoyed playing in familiar surroundings, he soon learned that there was more to playing for the Heat than sunshine and palm trees.

The pressure of playing in front of family and friends

Talking to Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on "All The Smoke," Dooling discussed what it was like to perform in front of family and friends, recalling how difficult it was to deal with all the requests for tickets and other requests.

"It was a lot of pressure, man. I was on the minimum, and everybody wanted to come to the games, and they wasn't giving tickets like that. So it was a lot of pressure on you," Keyon revealed. "But you know, man, that's the good thing about relationships and the Heat culture, right? They understood that. So anytime there were extra tickets or something like that, they would come through."

However, Dooling later found out that being a member of the Heat meant adhering to a particular level of fitness and conditioning, which was honed not only on the basketball court but also off it.

"We on the track doing what—eight, uh—we had to do six—what's two times around? That's the 800? Six 800s for a time, and if you didn't pass it, you would have to do it again, right?" he disclosed. "So, I just remember, like, questioning, Am I doing the right thing here with my life? Like, is this what life is? The humidity in South Florida—I got to do eight of them?"

Instead of complaining, though, Keyon embraced the grind after seeing the team's core players do the drill without batting an eyelash.

"The guys who are a part of the culture, they just—they doing it. D-Wade out there, Eddie Jones out there, Rasual used to run like a—there Rasual Butler, Udonis—you know nobody would outwork Udonis. But playing for the Heat, man, changed my life," he shared.

Learned how to be a pro

Keyon also admitted that it was with the Heat that he learned how to be a bona fide pro. Dooling's stint with the Heat did not start well, as he experienced seven DNPs (Did Not Play) in the first 15 games. As a result, he began pouting, something the team's president, Pat Riley, noticed. One day, the 6'3'' guard saw a note in his locker instructing him to see Riles.

"So I go up and see Pat, and Pat just tells me, 'Hey, man, look, you know, like I know, you know, you're not playing. It's not going well for you, but the way you handling it, it's not right. You know what I mean? Your body language in there—you're looking disconnected,'" Keyon remembered Riley's comments.

"He said, 'Man, don't let Coach Van Gundy, you know, see you pouting. Let him see you watching film. Let them see you on the court early. Let them see you cheering. Start sitting up closer by the bench so you can hear the game plan. I guarantee you, you're going to get your opportunity, and you got to be ready for it,'" he continued.

Although Dooling played only one season with the Heat, the lessons he learned during his time with the franchise were instrumental in his growth as a player. Keyon later played for Orlando, New Jersey, Milwaukee, Boston, and Memphis, carving out a role as a dependable backup guard.