Jan 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Udonis Haslem speaks after his jersey was lifted to the rafters during the retirement ceremony during halftime of the game between the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Miami Heat Legend Udonis Haslem Braces Fans For Continued State Of NBA Parity

Originally posted on Miami Heat on SI | By Bryan Townes | Last updated May 31, 2025 1:51 PM ET

With the era of super teams dying out, winning NBA championships has never been more difficult than it’s been over the last few years.

This season will mark the seventh consecutive season of a new Finals Champion. More importantly, none of the previous champions over this stretch have returned to the Finals. On The OGs podcast, Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem explains the factors of the league and why these challenges will continue to result in parity in the future.

“I really do think we are entering the era of parity,” Haslem said. “I think the talent is getting better. I think it’s getting harder to put together superteams because of the money, the taxes, and all these different things. We were just on ESPN the other day, and we were talking about putting together superteams. The conversation was talking about where Giannis would go, and a lot of people were saying a lot of these different teams. We talked about certain teams having three players.

“Back in the day, when I was able to do it with the Miami Heat, we had LeBron, Chris Bosh, and Wade, and we were still able to find a way to sign myself and different guys,” Haslem continued. “It’s just not capable of happening anymore.”

Because of the luxury tax, fans will rarely see teams being able to fit multiple superstar players together anymore and still be successful. Haslem explained a lot of players won’t sign for the minimum anymore, which makes building around star players more difficult and teams more even than in previous eras.