MIAMI — Udonis Haslem averaged 7.5 points and 6.6 rebounds in his career. He never made an All-Star team. Never had a triple-double. Never signed anything close to a max contract. Never even won a player of the week award.
The stats might seem ordinary.
Yet to the Miami Heat, he’s forever legendary.
The Miami native, who spent his entire 20-year career with the Heat — part of three championship teams and serving as captain in 16 of his seasons — watched his now-retired No. 40 jersey raised to the rafters on Friday night, the culmination of a career that saw him go from undrafted to virtually unmatched.
He’s one of only three players who spent a career of 20 years or more with one franchise. Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant are the others.
“You all got the money on me crying, don’t y’all? I know you all think I’m going to cry,” Haslem said. “Yeah, it’s hard. It’s hard. It’s hard. Heat Nation, it’s been an absolute honor, man.”
And then he stopped to wipe his eyes, evidently welling with tears behind the sunglasses he wore inside a darkened arena. He was too emotional to read the remarks he prepared so he went off the top of his head, thanking virtually every member of the organization, his family and former teammates.
Former Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem’s jersey is raised at the Kaseya Arena during a half time ceremony at an NBA basketball game between the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, in Miami. Credit: AP/Marta Lavandier
Haslem also paid tribute to all of Miami — area code 305.
“You’ve got to hold up the 305,” he said. “Tonight, we all celebrate, 305.”
Haslem, who would like to eventually join the Heat ownership group and currently works for the team as a vice president of player development, is the sixth player to get a jersey retired by the Heat. The others: Chris Bosh (No. 1), Dwyane Wade (No. 3), Tim Hardaway (No. 10), Shaquille O’Neal (No. 32) and Alonzo Mourning (No….
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