LAS VEGAS — Attempting an NBA comeback through a workout for NBA teams in conjunction with the NBA2K24 Summer League, Dion Waiters acknowledged he sabotaged his career with his actions while a member of the Miami Heat.
In an interview with Bleacher Report, Waiters addressed his tumultuous tenure with the Heat that included multiple suspensions, including for insubordination, and was eventually unloaded by the team in a 2020 trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder.
Although not a factor in the series, Waiters went on to share in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 NBA championship, after the Lakers defeated the Heat in that season’s NBA Finals.
Out of the league since, Waiters detailed in the Bleacher Report interview his battle with depression.
Waiters, 31, said his comeback attempt is in part at the urging of his 10-year-old son.
Asked of an incident that particularly stood out amid his NBA descent, Waiters said, “Yes, that last year with the Miami Heat and just understanding what was going on in that situation. I was so irresponsible and immature. I let the Heat down. They were good to me. I did not handle it well at all.”
Waiters added, “The things that were going on were avoidable If I had just shut the hell up and let my agent handle a lot of that stuff. And if I did that, we wouldn’t even be here today. I’d still be playing. Everything happens for a reason. I looked myself in the mirror already, bro. I read my rights, I read my wrongs, and now I just got to keep pushing, moving forward and living with the results.”
