NBA star Tyler Herro’s flashy lifestyle off the court has the Heat worried, especially with the second-year guard struggling as the team jockeys for playoff position, according to a report.
“Tyler Herro chose to become a celebrity. He chose to become something outside the game, as is his right,” South Florida Sun Sentinel reporter Ira Winderman said Monday on the “Inside the Paint” podcast. “But you know what? Other players when they see a player doing that before they’ve truly reached it. I don’t know if I want to say there’s a jealousy. … They sort of take a scant view of the guy and say, ‘Wait a minute buddy. You haven’t done anything yet.’”
Co-host and longtime reporter Ethan Skolnick chimed in, adding, “Ultimately, the team starts to get a certain level of concern. In this particular case, the team has been concerned now for months.”
It’s no secret Herro, who turned 21 in January and burst on the scene during the 2020 NBA Finals, has been enjoying his newfound celebrity status while living on the waterfront in South Beach.
The Kentucky product quickly adapted to the spotlight, with his $11 million contract and model and social media influencer girlfriend Katya Elise Henry.
In addition to his high-profile romance that is showcased over social media — including in a twerking video in July — Herro is rubbing elbows with celebrities like Jack Harlow. The rapper named one of his songs after Herro — called “Tyler Herro” — and featured the player in the accompanying music video.
Herro, who’s widely known around the league for his swagger and colorful fashion style, can spit a few bars, himself. He has a couple songs with teammate Kendrick Nunn.
Herro’s Twitter handle — “raf_tyler” — means “rich and famous.”
While he’s scoring off-the-court, Herro’s performance on the hardwood as of late isn’t up to the level he played last summer.
Herro famously dropped 37 points in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals during the NBA bubble in Orlando, Fla. He later became the youngest player in league history to start an NBA Finals game, though Herro’s Heat lost to the Lakers in six games.
Herro averaged 16 points, 3.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 21 games during the 2020 postseason.
While Herro is averaging 14.8 points this season, more than his rookie regular season average of 13.5, he hasn’t scored double digits in Miami’s last three games as he battles a sore foot.
The seventh-seed Heat are clinging to a postseason berth with 13 games left after Wednesday’s clash with the Spurs, including four matchups with other Eastern Conference teams currently in playoff position.
Meanwhile, another Heat star in Jimmy Butler isn’t happy with his team’s on-court performance.
Butler called his team “soft” and said that he wants All-Star center Bam Adebayo to get back to playing “bully ball.”
Time will tell if the Heat can turn things around, and whether their Herro concerns will subside.