Miami Heat big man Udonis Haslem is one of the grittiest and toughest players in franchise history. He’s never been one to back down from anybody and always stands up for his teammates.
That was especially true during Game 5 of the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals between the Heat and Indiana Pacers. In that game, then-Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough roughly fouled then-Heat guard Dwyane Wade.
Being the type of teammate that he is, Haslem then went after Hansbrough with a rough foul of his own. To the surprise of few, he was ejected from the game for the foul.
The 42-year-old looked back on that incident recently with an Instagram post.
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Haslem’s words in the video came from an appearance on current Heat teammate Duncan Robinson’s podcast.
“I’m f—— somebody up,” Haslem said regarding what he decided after seeing Hansbrough and Lou Amundson high-five each other after the hard foul on Wade. “Now, decision’s made.”
Haslem went on to say that while he was punished for his retaliation, the decision was worth it because he was able to defend his superstar teammate.
“I understand who D. Wade is,” he said. “I’ll take that fine.”
Over the years, Haslem has become known for taking action into his own hands and being very outspoken. He’s not afraid to talk back to anyone, including fans. He recently emphatically fired back at a hater that called him an “artifact” for his defense against Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
Haslem doesn’t play many meaningful minutes for the Heat nowadays, but he does get some run from time to time. Since the start of the 2016-17 season, the three-time champion has appeared in 61 games for Miami, getting 7.0 minutes per contest. In that time, he’s averaging 1.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
While he’s way past his prime, the University of Florida product still provides tons of value to the organization as a veteran leader in the locker room.
Over the offseason, he confirmed that this season is set to be the last one of his storied career. Once his playing days are over, it seems like he’s more interested in becoming part of the Heat’s ownership group than becoming a coach.
Only time will tell what ends up happening with that, but Haslem is surely currently more focused on helping the Heat climb the standings.
Miami is currently only 10-12 and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. That would leave it out of the play-in tournament if the regular season ended today. That’s definitely not how Haslem wants his final NBA season to end.
