Michael Beasley made a career off of his ability to score the basketball. He was one of the best players in the country during his collegiate career. However, it did not really transfer when he was with Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat. Coming off a matchup with Lance Stephenson in the BIG 3, Beasley jokingly called out his former coach for being an obstacle while he was playing.

Despite Beasley’s off-court issues, the forward is one of the better individual scorers of his era. He carries a lot of respect among NBA players for how good he was in isolation. However, he never found his home in the NBA and eventually found himself overseas and in the BIG 3. Now, he is enjoying a renaissance playing in the 3v3 league with other former players, like Stephenson.

Even though he has not played in the NBA since 2019, Beasley looks back on his career fondly. However, he had a humorous answer when talking about which defenders gave him the most trouble.

“Rick Adelman, Eric Spoelstra, or whoever head coach I had at the time,” Beasley answered. “Yeah he never put me in the game. Spol I love you, Spol is my guy…”

Spoelstra is one of the biggest factors behind the Heat being the organization they have become. He and Pat Riley have created one of the league’s most unique cultures there. However, Beasley and Spoelstra butted heads during the forward’s tenure there. Unfortunately for Beasley, that was one of the few constants of his career.

In the Big 3, Beasley has been able to be more of himself on the court. While some players, like Stephenson, have taken exception to that, the veteran has not backed down. For all of his complexities, Beasley remains one of the best isolation scorers in the basketball world right now.