Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade showed some major love for his former teammate Udonis Haslem for getting his jersey retired at Miami Senior High School.
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Wade shared the post of Haslem’s jersey retirement to his story on Instagram along with a congratulatory message.
Haslem, the longest tenured member on the Heat roster, was a star player in high school. He led the program to state titles in 1997 and 1998.
“It feels good to be celebrated, appreciated and take a little time to reflect,” Haslem said. “… It all started here.”
Wade and Haslem played together for several seasons in Miami, going to five NBA Finals and winning three of them together. Haslem played alongside Wade with Shaquille O’Neal as well as during the Big 3 era with LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
Haslem is expected to retire following the 2022-23 season, but he has put together a tremendous NBA career. Even though the forward is now more of a locker room presence and leader, he did have several productive years for the Heat.
For his career, Haslem averages 7.5 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 48.9 percent from the field.
He has played sparingly for the Heat over the last few seasons, playing in fewer than 20 regular season games in every campaign since the 2016-17 season.
Despite that, the Heat value his leadership so much that they have kept him on the roster. This season, injuries have thrust Haslem into the lineup on a few occasions.
He’s appeared in five games for the Heat, making one start. He’s averaging 7.2 minutes per game, his most since the 2019-20 season.
While Wade has retired from his playing days, he clearly has a lot of love for his former teammate that was with him through it all in Miami.
The Heat are hoping to send Haslem off into the sunset in dramatic fashion by winning an NBA title this season.
Miami made the NBA Finals in the 2019-20 season, but it lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Last season, the team made the Eastern Conference Finals, but it came up short against the Boston Celtics in Game 7.
The Heat have gotten off to a slow start this season, but they are still in the thick of the playoff picture in the East. With Haslem’s leadership, fans can expect this team to be ready to go once the postseason rolls around.
