Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem is back on the team’s roster for the 2021-22 season, but the veteran has his sights set very high for when his playing career is over.
Haslem, who is a de facto coach for the Heat, revealed his plans to become an owner on teammate Duncan Robinson’s podcast.
“Everybody always said, ‘You’re going to be a coach, you’re going to be a coach,’ and I never answered that question. I never said yes or no, because I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself,” Haslem said. “You know for me, I’ve always been able to just think bigger, you know what I’m saying, be bigger, and understand that I have the ability to do more.
“As I started to think about it more and more, this was a conversation that Dwyane [Wade] and I had years down the line. It didn’t work out this way, obviously he’s in ownership somewhere else, and I’m proud of my brother, I’m happy for him, but I still have the opportunity to do it myself.
Haslem even mentioned the possibility of potentially having an ownership stake in the Heat, the team he has spent his entire NBA career with.
“And what better place to do it than in my city? You know it’s genuine. You know it’s real. I can still move the needle around this NBA. I have so many relationships with so many NBA players just because I am the OG, so they value my opinion. It’s crazy, because when I was playing, and I was in competitive mode, I thought these f—— guys hated me.
“But now that I’m not playing as much, and I’m the OG, now it’s more guys come to me and we have conversations, and it’s just a different level when you not just actually competing and trying to take your head off all the time.”
The Heat have told Haslem he has a spot on the team’s roster as long as he wants it, but it will be interesting to see when he can make the transition into an ownership role. It would be great to see the 41-year-old have an ownership stake in the Heat sometime in the future.
Haslem has been with Miami since the 2003-04 season. Last season, he appeared in one game, scoring four points and adding one rebound.