What Udonis Haslem, 42, means for the Miami Heat

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MIAMI — UDONIS HASLEM He was on vacation in Orlando, Florida with his family when he noticed a black SUV pulling up to his rental property.

“My antenna goes up,” says the Miami Heat Veteran speaks out about the moment. “A black SUV?” I cannot see inside it. I told my kids to go in the house.

Haslem was correct to be suspicious.

“I begin walking up to the car and [Heat vice president of sports media relations] Tim Donovan is seen wearing T-shirts [with an image of Udonis on them]He said, “Yes.” “I think he was shocked to hear my first response. However, that was because I didn’t know who it was.”

Ironic given the fact that this surprise visit was so much about 20 years of familiarity.

Donovan’s appearance marked Haslem’s invitation by the Heat to return for a twenty-year NBA season. He accepted this offer when he resigned with Miami for one year in August. He will be joining Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) and Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) as the only NBA players to have played at least 20 seasons all with one franchise. At 42, he will continue to be the oldest player of the league. He announced it in August at his basketball camp in Miami.

Haslem still wants to have his say on the topic of what a power forward in his 40s could offer a team.

He says, “This isn’t a f—ing case of charity.” “My men know me, they appreciate me, and they respect me.

“I don’t joke. Trust me, I wouldn’t mind being the first to leave if it was necessary. I don’t want to get my f— kicked every day by little guys.”

Critics discussed Haslem’s inability on social media to leave the Heat after his signing. One of the most popular posts highlighted that Haslem has made the most money per minutes played in the league since 2017. He has played 273 minutes in that time, which is equivalent to six NBA games.

Could the spot have been better used to develop young talent? Is Haslem as valuable as an assistant coach? Is it possible that Haslem (affectionately called “UD”, as well as “OG” due to his lengthy tenure with his local team) still has something to offer a team with whom he’s won three championships.

“I am clear about my role, so why not take it on?” He counters. “Someday, it’ll be over.” However, everything I do about being here and being part of this is based upon the fact that I can still make a difference if I need.”

Haslem is the core of the Heat franchise, and perhaps the most important contributor to the often-referenced Heat culture. His contribution to winning is not a myth that the organization keeps alive, but it is something that he sees every day.

This is, in fact, still a Pat Riley-led franchise. One of the former Heat coach-turned-president’s consistent messages is, the older you get in the NBA, the better condition you must maintain. Haslem’s agility has been maintained by being leaner in recent seasons. Riley states that Haslem currently has less than 5% body fat.

Although he didn’t see the floor in the playoffs in 2016, Haslem felt that he had played a part in Jimmy Butler’s remarkable performance in Miami’s 2022 playoffs. He tested him in one-on-1 battles before the home games.

Haslem said, “It gets very competitive up there,” “He takes shots at me sometimes that drive me crazy.

“If you ask anyone, that’s what they will tell you.” [playoff run] I started here. I was watching that s—. Joel Embiid, it was literally déjà vu of the s— he makes on me up here. I thought, “This is the reason we do what they do.” This is why we came up here, we play 1s and we get competitive. “That’s how I know that he can take us where we need to be.”

These individual sessions are not reserved for Butler. Haslem is open to any Heat player of any size or age, regardless of their ability to improve their skills.

“That surprised me because I didn’t think he would be moving and playing like that,” Heat forward Caleb Martin says. “Many people his age have been playing for many years. He is still here, getting in top-tier form. It’s amazing to see him come in and work like he does every single day, even though he probably won’t get into the game.

Add another teammate Victor Oladipo“I played against him while I was coming back to rehab. OG can still slide ’em. It’s not easy. He’ll make sure you do everything. He will do anything to help us become better. He’s the most selfless individual we have.

“He is not UD all the time. “He’s UD all of the time.”

THE LEGEND OF After a year of playing abroad and getting into NBA shape, Haslem started during George W. Bush’s first presidential term in 2003.

The lean-out Haslem, who had spent time with San Antonio’s summer squads as well as Miami’s, looked almost nothing like his wide-bodied post-presence from Florida. After dominating the low post with hook shots, heart and hook shots throughout college, Haslem was now trying to establish himself as a defense specialist and a midrange jumper.

“I didn’t want him to get to me.” [Spurs coach Gregg] Popovich because I knew Pop would sign me in a heartbeat,” Riley recalled.

Haslem’s hometown team was the reason he signed his first NBA deal with Miami instead of San Antonio. Haslem joins rookie Dwyane Watley and Lamar Odom, who were recently acquired from the NBA. LA Clippers.

Riley provided the first hint that Haslem was going to be part of a long-standing partnership with the Heat before Haslem’s first game in a Heat uniform.

“We were down there after a week’s training camp. I believe it was our first preseason match,” Riley recalls. He would later hand over the head coaching duties to Stan Van Gundy just five days before the 2003-04 season. “We all went together to the shootaround and this is the first time that I’m going say, ‘OK. This is our starting lineup. Dwyane was called out, Eddie was called out. [Jones]Brian called me. [Grant]Caron was my caller. [Butler]. I replied, “OK UD, start at the 4 ahead Lamar Odom.”

“Players were staring at Lamar because he was a very, very talented competitor.” Udonis proved to me, and everyone else, that he was an excellent competitor in this franchise.”

Haslem began the first 24 regular-season games. Odom was eventually promoted to the bench. For a team that made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals, he averaged 7.3 points per game and 6.3 rebounds. Haslem would then start 360 of the next 362 games he played over the following five seasons, and all 22 games of the 2006 Heat championship run — capped by a 17-point, 10-rebound performance in the championship-clinching Game 6 in Dallas.

Riley recalled telling Haslem, “I said that to him, you’re gonna be wide open quite a bit,” Riley had told Haslem prior to the game. “Get in the creases, get in the gaps. He hit a baseline jumper, then hit another elbow jumper. Finally, he got an offensive rebound, which he put back in. He was not afraid of the big moment. He never did.”

One of the most significant signs that Haslem was respected by his peers was Wade’s endorsement of the Heat’s Big Three. LeBron James Chris Bosh and Haslem — both took slightly less than their maximums for 2010 so Haslem could sign with the team again and be part of what would have been a run of four Finals appearances over four years.

Haslem, who was playing as a reserve at this point, thanked them with unforgettable moments of support, most notably filling in for Bosh in an injury in the 2012 playoffs. The Indiana Pacers In the second round, Haslem’s Game 5 retaliation against Tyler Hansbrough This would be the moment that best exemplified his career.

Hansbrough had fouled Wade one play earlier in the neck and head area. Hansbrough, who had eight stitches covering his right eye due to a collision one-game earlier, was hit hard by Haslem. Hansbrough was then left bloody and OG suspended for Game 6.

Haslem’s greatest contribution to that championship was “Just being ready so I didn’t need to get ready,” Haslem said. “CB gets injured, we don’t win the Indiana series and the Boston series with me.” No matter what my role was in the series, we won’t win it without me. That means that we can’t win those Finals without us.

The original Heat was created in Jimmy ButlerHaslem found a running partner with a similar love for work. Haslem had another chance to prove that he is worthy of the NBA Finals, which the Heat were planning to host in Orlando in 2020.

Haslem says, “We were going being comfortable with being inconsolable.” This is not home. This is our job. It’s almost like traveling to Europe to have fun: You spend nine months there, then you come home to take your ass.

They came up together with a plan. “Soon after we hit the bubble we were on some militant Haslem recalls.

“I was insane, I was sleeping on a couch. I have never slept on the bed. I slept on a couch the entire time I was there. My cabinets were stocked with Campbell’s soup, water bottles, and Hennessy. I also never left my bedroom. Jimmy and I didn’t have many close friends.”

Haslem is proud to have taken the fifth-seeded Heat into the NBA Finals within the bubble. Even though they lost to them in six games, He was visible during Miami’s run for the Eastern Conference Finals last season. In the middle of a losing streak, his most dramatic moment was when he ended an argument on the bench between Butler and Erik Spoelstra.

Alonzo Mourning is now the vice president of player programs, and development for the Heat. “He brought it down so that all parties understood that this was about winning,” said Alonzo. Every team needs a player like him in their locker room. It’s a rare thing to have such a player.

HASLEM WAS INITIALLY He was unsure about whether he would return for the second season. He was convinced to go back for the season after a conversation with Johnnie his father two years ago.

“We were just going though the summer, and then he was like, ‘S —, with the way you’re going you could do 20,’,” Haslem recalls from their 2020 talk. I thought he was insane. I was like, “I don’t know what that means.” He suggested that I really think about it.

“And then Dwyane mentioned that. These two people are trustworthy and I respect their opinions. So I thought, “If the mind is strong and the body is healthy, that’s a good class.”

His father will not be able to witness the tributes and jersey swaps that Haslem has inspired over the next seven-months.

Johnnie, who was 70 years old, passed away Aug. 30, 2021. This marked the end of his story as an underdog hero.

Haslem says, “It was not gonna be the end I envisioned after 20years.” “That was the most crucial piece, my father. This is not to diminish my stepmom, or my wife, or my children, but since the day I picked up my freakin’ basketball, that dude has been right there.

It certainly dampened it, put an overcast cloud over it. There are many people who deserve to be part of this. I did not want to forget those people.”

These include his family and close friends as well as his teammates.

Butler said, “He’s continually making me better. He’s always there to help because he understands what it takes to win. He’s been a champion and wants everyone to feel the same. It’s great to have him back.

Particularly in a jersey. Because OG has still got something in his 42-year old legs. But, he also envisions more than an assistant coach role when he is done.

Haslem is inspired by Buster Posey’s recent accomplishments in San Francisco. Posey joined the Giants’ ownership team just one year after his 12-year tenure with the team.

His goals for the future are to ensure his legacy continues. The people who were with him during the course of his career have only been able to measure his contribution. He is optimistic that his work will continue to resonate well long after he has retired.

“I want the torch to Bam.” [Adebayo] Haslem describes himself as the next cultural bearer. I want to mold Jimmy and make him the champion he deserves. I want to see this locker room move in the right direction.

“I want my children to be able to say to me, ‘I want a career like Udonis haslem. I was undrafted, worked hard for all I earned, won three championships, retired, and became an owner with the same company I played for 20 years.


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