Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem pays respects at Surfside memorial
Heat forward and team captain Udonis Haslem, a Miami native, visited the memorial fence near the partially collapsed Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside to pay his respects on Wednesday afternoon.
Accompanied by Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Haslem hung a wreath at the maksehift memorial affixed to a chain link fence one block away from the site and also left behind a handwritten message. Haslem, who has spent each of his 18 NBA seasons with the Heat, then walked down Collins Avenue to thank first responders at the scene.
“Our hearts are broken for those who have passed,” Haslem wrote on a sign attached to the fence. “We pray for them and we pray for peace for all the families.”
Haslem, 41, also spent time in front of the World Central Kitchen food truck, a Heat partner that is in Surfside to help feed first responders.
“It’s emotional for me. It’s hard,” Haslem said during his visit to Surfside. “I fight back feelings, pain and tears. For me, being a part of Miami and staying in Miami was never about basketball. It was always bigger than basketball for me. So this breaks my heart. As a captain of this team and one of the leaders in this city, I ask that we all come together and we go to supportsurfside.org and we give as much as we can and we do as much as we can to help the people involved.”
Levine Cava said of the 6-foot-8 Haslem’s visit: “To have the Miami Heat come and this great player come. He’s really reflecting how we all feel. So we’re so grateful for a towering man to come and show his love and support for the community.”
In addition to Wednesday’s visit from Haslem, Heat guard Tyler Herro, assistant coaches Chris Quinn and Eric Glass and other team representatives visited first responders near the site in Surfside last Thursday just hours after the collapse to drop off cases of bottled water, snacks and meals.
And Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and assistant coach Octavio De La Grana attended a community vigil Monday night in Surfside.
The Heat and the Miami Heat Charitable Fund were among the initial partners, along with The Coral Gables Community Foundation, The Key Biscayne Community Foundation and The Miami Foundation, that came together to begin a hardship fund for those impacted by the Surfside building collapse. More than $2 million from more than 10,000 individual donors has already been raised, according to the Heat.
To donate to the fund, visit supportsurfside.org.
“I’m just going to continue to pray for everybody,” Haslem said when asked what he would tell the families of those who are still unaccounted for. “I pray every night. I’m going to continue to pray.”
This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 3:55 PM.
