Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem opened up about his NBA career after retiring from the league following the 2022-23 season.
Haslem took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message, sharing that he doesn’t regret anything about his time in the NBA.
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A three-time NBA champion who played his entire career with the Heat, Haslem had been a leading voice in the team’s locker room for several seasons. Even though Haslem was no longer an impact player in the rotation, his wisdom and guidance were crucial to Miami’s success over the past few seasons.
The Heat have made the NBA Finals in two of the last four seasons and Eastern Conference Finals three of the last four campaigns. The Heat nearly sent Haslem out with an NBA title, but they came up short in the 2023 NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets last season, losing in five games.
Haslem was able to get his last bit of playing time in Game 3 of the series.
He has been one of the most respected figures in the NBA because of his leadership qualities, earning himself the title of “O.G.”
For his career, Haslem averaged 7.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field. Last season, he appeared in seven games for the Heat, making one start.
Earlier in his career, Haslem played an integral role on Miami’s championship teams with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh as well as when the Heat won the title with Wade and Shaquille O’Neal in the 2006 NBA Finals.
The 43-year-old’s NBA journey certainly was a unique one after he went undrafted out of the University of Florida. He spent the 2002-03 season playing overseas in France before joining the Heat for the 2003-04 season.
It will be strange to see Miami’s sideline in the 2023-24 season without Haslem on it, but the Heat are certainly grateful for everything he gave to the organization.
