Dion Waiters claims Heat 'tried to bury' him with 'suspensions and all': 'Look at me now'
When Dion Waiters was traded away from the Miami Heat in February, it looked like his career might be over. Cut to seven months later, and he got to win an NBA champion over his former team. He then called out Miami after the Lakers eliminated them in six games to win the Finals.
"They [Heat] tried to bury me," Waiters said while celebrating after Game 6. "The suspensions and all. They tried to bury me. I didn’t even do nothin. Look at me now"
To be fair, Waiters might be simplifying the situation a bit. While it's never been clear what exactly happened on that plane ride last October (he was ironically on his way to play the Lakers), it is widely believed that Waiters had a THC-induced panic attack that led to the team suspending him for 10 games. Then in December, he was suspended an additional six games after telling the team he was sick, only to post an Instagram of him celebrating his birthday on a boat.
Eventually, the Heat decided to get rid of Waiters, sending him to the Memphis Grizzlies as a part of the deal that landed Miami Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder. He was quickly waived by Memphis and just before the season started, he was snatched up by the Lakers.
Now, Waiters didn't really contribute much to the Lakers championship run beyond moral support, as he played in only five games (all in the first two rounds) and never scored more than four points in a game. But at the end of the day, he got his ring and he got to celebrate while the team that discarded him probably wished they had some THC to help with their painful journey out of the bubble.
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