LeBron James, Udonis Haslem’s former teammate, congratulated him on his No. 40 jersey retirement on Friday night on Instagram.
From 2010 to 2014, James and Haslem played together with the Heat for four seasons. In all four of those seasons, they made it to the NBA Finals and took home two championships in 2012 and 2013.
Though Haslem was a starter on those teams with LeBron, he received a lot of criticism towards the conclusion of his career for merely sitting on the bench. Although James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were undoubtedly the ones driving Miami to victory, Haslem also contributed as an enforcer and reliable role player.
Udonis Haslem’s Heat Career
Before being signed by the Heat in 2003, Haslem had to play abroad in France for a year after being undrafted in 2002. He had no idea at the moment that he would play for the Heat for 20 seasons. Neither did the Heat. Haslem joined the Heat as a full-time starter in only his second season and helped the team win its first championship in 2006.
He was named team captain by Miami during the 2007–08 season, a position he would retain until the conclusion of his career. That was followed by two more championships in 2012 and 2013, as was previously noted.Haslem’s playing time would start to decline significantly after the Big Three period in Miami. His presence in the locker room was much welcomed by the players and the organization, so he became more of a help off the court.
The Heat would return to the Finals under Haslem in 2020 and 2023, but they would miss out on the championship both times. He ended his wonderful career by retiring after the 2023 NBA Finals. With averages of 7.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks a game, the 43-year-old left the game early.
As of right now, Haslem leads the Heat all-time in rebounds (5,791) and games played (879), ranking second. That’s a really amazing accomplishment for a guy who was not selected more than 20 years ago. Along with Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Hardaway Sr., Alonzo Mourning, and Chris Bosh, he is now the sixth player in Heat history to have had their jersey retired.
Udonis Haslem Credited LeBron James For Teaching Him How To Extend His Career
Only ten players in NBA history have played for 20 seasons, including Haslem. What enabled him to pull off that achieveme𝚗t? Haslem, nevertheless, said that having LeBron around taught him how to prolong his career.”If I didn’t take care of my body in a specific manner, there’s no way I could be sprinting, leaping, and keeping up with these me𝚗 at 42. I therefore undoubtedly learned it from Bron’s book.In that sense, James is someone who many athletes could definitely benefit from. Given that he is now in his 21st season in the NBA, LeBron has even surpassed Haslem.The 39-year-old is still in control of the game, averaging 24.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks per outing. With 22 seasons played, Vince Carter now owns the record, and LeBron seems to be a good shot to surpass it.