Udonis Haslem had his No. 40 jersey retired by the Miami Heat on Friday night, and his former teammate LeBron James congratulated him on it on Instagram.
James and Haslem were teammates on the Heat for four seasons from 2010 to 2014. They went to the NBA Finals in all four of those campaigns and won two titles in 2012 and 2013.
While Haslem got a lot of stick toward the end of his career for just sitting on the bench, he was a starter on those teams with LeBron. While James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were obviously the ones leading Miami to victory, Haslem played his part as a solid role player and enforcer.
Udonis Haslem’s Heat Career
Haslem went undrafted all the way back in 2002 and had to play overseas in France for a year before the Heat signed him in 2003. At the time, neither he nor the Heat could have imagined that he would go on to play for 20 seasons with the franchise.
By just his second season, Haslem became a full-time starter for the Heat and helped the franchise win its first title in 2006. In the 2007-08 campaign, Miami made him a team captain, a title he would hold till the end of his career. Two more championships then followed in 2012 and 2013, as mentioned earlier.
Post the Big Three era in Miami, Haslem would start to see his time on the court diminish a fair bit. He became more of a help off the court as his presence in the locker room was greatly appreciated by the franchise and the players.
Haslem would see the Heat make the Finals in 2020 and 2023 as well, but they failed to win the title on both occasions. He retired after the 2023 NBA Finals to drop the curtain on a fine career. The 43-year-old walked away with averages of 7.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
Haslem is currently the Heat’s all-time leader in rebounds with 5,791 and ranks second in games played with 879. That’s quite a remarkable feat for a man who went undrafted over 20 years ago. He has now become the sixth Heat player to have his jersey retired, joining Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway Sr., Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade.
Udonis Haslem Credited LeBron James For Teaching Him How To Extend His Career
Haslem is just one of 10 players in history to have played for 20 seasons in the NBA. What helped him accomplish that feat? Well, Haslem said playing with LeBron taught him how to extend his career.
“There’s no way I’m able to still be out here running and jumping and keeping up with these guys at 42 if I didn’t take care of my body in a certain way. So that was definitely something I took out of Bron’s book.”
A lot of players certainly could learn a thing or two from James in that regard. LeBron has even gone a step beyond Haslem as he is in his 21st season in the league at the moment.
He is still dominating as well, as the 39-year-old is averaging 24.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in the 2023-24 campaign. Vince Carter currently holds the record for most seasons played with 22, and LeBron seems like a safe bet to break that record.
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