The Miami Heat are on a two-game winning streak and arguably playing their best basketball of the season so when team captain Udonis Haslem joined Hochman and Crowder today, naturally the conversation was about… pizza.
On National Pizza Day, UD was forced to choose between NY Style and Chicago Deep Dish pizza – his answer came as a surprise to Hoch.
“I gotta go with Chicago Deep Dish,” Haslem said. “I don’t like the little thin slices, you grab it, it flips all over and all your toppings fall off.” Despite passionately arguing against Deep Dish all afternoon, Channing Crowder was silent when #40 advocated for it – nobody argues with the captain.
Chicago style vs NY style pizza led to conversations about Haslem’s Aventura restaurant, 800 Degrees Woodfired Kitchen, where Pizza is a staple. But owning a restaurant isn’t the only business venture the 18-year NBA veteran has taken up – he owns several other restuarants including Starbucks, Subways, Auntie Anne’s and even a few local low income housing projects.
“I invest in things I like personally, things that I am passionate about so that way I know that If I put my money in it, Im going to be all on top of it because it’s something that I love.”
Haslem isn’t the only Heat player that has an invested interest in coffee – UD owns a few Starbucks and even called himself a barista – but Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler famously sold “Big Face Coffee” in the NBA Bubble.
Hoch wanted to know if UD’s Starbucks coffee is better than Jimmy’s Big Face Coffee?
“it’s cheaper! I’ll tell you that. People think Starbucks is expensive, man ain’t no way in hell I’ll pay what Jimmy is trying to charge for coffee.”
Listen to more from Udonis Haslem on Pizza, his business ventures off the court and his commitment to the community here: