If you’ve seen Gabrielle Union hyping Michael Beasley lately, there’s history behind it. She was part of the Heat’s inner circle when he arrived, always championing Kaavia’s “uncles.” But back in 2008, Beasley wasn’t as welcoming. At 19, he resented Union for taking too much of Dwyane Wade’s time, just as Wade’s stardom was exploding. With Wade distracted and Udonis Haslem often unavailable, it meant Beasley was up to no good.

Now, years later, Beasley’s story feels like a full-circle moment. Fresh off back-to-back BIG3 championships and an MVP trophy, he sat down with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on All the Smoke. The episode marked Jackson’s return from major back surgery, and the timing was fitting. Jackson pressed Beasley on his wild rookie days, highlighting how the lack of veteran leadership shaped the chaos that followed in his early NBA career.

Drafted second overall in 2008, Beasley carried sky-high expectations but struggled to find direction. Miami’s nightlife swallowed him up, and even at the rookie transition program, he was fined for antics that underscored his immaturity.

“If I had to put a vet on that season like, cuz D-Wade, he taught me some things,” Beasley told Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. “But D-Wade was like, D-Wade was just getting into his celebrity. So he was around like, like I remember he was around a cast of girlfriends and s—, and you know, Gab and all that s—.”

By 2006, Dwyane Wade had already cemented himself as a superstar, winning his first championship and Finals MVP. In a league buzzing with names like Kobe, Shaq, and more, Wade was carving out his own legacy. By the time Shaq was traded to Phoenix before the 2008 draft, Miami was officially Wade’s team. But with the spotlight pulling him in every direction, he didn’t have the bandwidth to ‘train’ a 19-year-old rookie.

That same year, Wade began dating Gabrielle Union, and their high-profile relationship made waves in Miami’s nightlife. He was juggling celebrity, endorsements, and life in the public eye, leaving little space to mentor Michael Beasley. Looking back, Beasley put it bluntly: “They was just too grown for me at the time.”

To be fair, Beasley does admit that D-Wade and UD tried. Especially when Beasley got confrontational with Erik Spoelstra or Pat Riley. He admitted rebuffing them and being mad. But they couldn’t pause their personal lives to babysit him. Which gave way to some unnecessary drama.

No Hard Feelings between Michael Beasley and the Wade-Union fam

Michael Beasley used to be known for all the wrong reasons, but undoubtedly, he was a top draft pick at only 19. Among the many locker room frictions he was reportedly part of, some were apparently with Udonis Haslem. Beasley told Barnes and Stak that the media made up his supposed tension with UD. In fact, irrespective of whatever D-Wade did, UD was always supporting Beasley.

“UD was Mr. Miami. So UD had me in every f—ing hood you want to. I’m talking about every cookout, everybody birthday party. I’m talking about, n—- with UD you just gonna kick it, and it’s it’s fun but you know he was still finding his way too.”

UD was a role player who willingly took pay cuts for the betterment of the team. Instead of seeking stardom, there was no player in the Miami Heat locker room he didn’t help, including D-Wade. But Beasley admitted that Haslem had to also look out for himself and couldn’t watch a teen all the time.

Hindsight is 20-20, and Beasley is different. After bouncing between Miami and other teams and stints overseas, he signed on with Ice Cube’s BIG3. It’s like he found his calling. Even became teammates with his NBA rival, Lance Stephenson.

The day he beat Stephenson 1vs1 for $100,000, Beasley became the viral phenom he should’ve been much sooner. He left old rivals and teammates – and even his childhood friend Kevin Durant – ecstatic, and also thrilled Gabrielle Union. She dropped a two-word affirmation of what her husband’s teammate is – “Killa Beas.”

And despite not receiving the kind of guidance he needed. Beasley holds nothing against his vets. He told Udonis Haslem on The OGs, “D-Wade was the first basketball player I’ve ever looked at, it’s like, ‘he might be better than you… That’s the only…” Union would later share that clip with the same caption she had used before. And even D-Wade responded to the clip with joined hands emojis.

Wade also celebrated Beasley’s second BIG3 title. Obviously, the distance between rookie Beasley and NBA champion Wade is old news.