Miami Heat fans had some bittersweet news this Friday. After 20 years in the NBA, all of them with the same franchise, Udonis Haslem is announcing his retirement. At the age of 43, it was really just a matter of time until he retired. But having won three rings for the franchise, he is no ordinary 43-year-old player.
“20 years…” Haslem started his official retirement post. “It’s impossible to put into words what these past 20 years have meant. But y’all know me. I’m damn sure gonna try. I consider myself extremely blessed to say I can leave this game with no regrets. The championships, the accolades, the brotherhood, man it’s hard not to be at peace. Undrafted to a 3x Champion, All-Rookie 2nd Team, Teammate of The Year, the oldest player to play in an NBA finals game, Miami Heat’s all-time leading rebounder and longest-tenured player, the list goes on.”
And after remembering all of his personal accomplishments, Udonis Haslem finalized the post with gratitude. “Shout out to my real OGs, the teammates that let me be their OG, and to my family for staying ten toes down through it all. Although this journey has had it’s ups and downs, I am truly thankful and have no complaints at all. All the way down to leaving money on the table to stay in my city. You, Miami, made it all worth it! I will always be the OG but now it’s time for the family man and the business man to get to work. #40 see you in the rafters soon. Until then, OG out.”
Udonis Haslem
As he mentioned in the goodbye post, Haslem entered the NBA as an undrafted free agent. After 20 years and three titles, he retires as a legend for Miami fans. In all this time Haslem played a total of 879 games (including seven in 2022-23). He finishes his career averaging 7.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 24.7 minutes per game. He had 134 double-doubles throughout his career, but never got a triple-double.
