As Heat’s Haslem turns 42, he wants to continue ‘impacting this organization.’ In what role?
Udonis Haslem has not yet decided if he’ll return to the Miami Heat for a 20th season. If he does choose to continue his playing career, he’ll join a very short list.
With Haslem turning 42 on Thursday, he has the opportunity to become just the seventh player in NBA history to appear in a game after their 42nd birthday. Nat Hickey (final game at 45), Kevin Willis (final game at 44), Robert Parish (final game at 43), Vince Carter (final game at 43), Dikembe Mutombo (final game at 42) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (final game at 42) are the only ones who have accomplished that rare feat.
“As usual, I’ll take my time,” Haslem said last week on exit interview day, delaying his decision between retirement and returning for a 20th season until later this offseason. “I’ll sit down with the family, Pat, Micky [Arison] and talk about what’s next and where it goes.”
If Haslem chooses to return to the Heat’s roster, he will also join a short list of players to appear in at least 20 NBA seasons that currently only includes Carter, Parish, Willis, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Jamal Crawford. LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony can also become part of that group next season.
Asked whether he wants to return next season, Haslem said if he got what he wanted he would be playing in the NBA Finals right now instead of having the Heat’s season end in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.
“I want to be playing right now. I didn’t get what I wanted. I want to still be playing,” said Haslem, a Miami native. “So I’m not getting what I want in the moment. Right now, it’s time to take a mental break and then figure that out after that.”
Haslem told the Miami Herald in November that he has a goal of reaching the 20-season mark because of the historical aspect of it and it’s also a milestone his late father, Johnnie Haslem, wanted him to reach.
“To say that a kid who nobody really gave a chance to, to do 20 years in this organization at this level and break records and win championships,” Haslem said in November, “I think for me, that would be a gift to myself. That was something that my father wanted. So I think it’s something that I still have the ability to accomplish. That’s something that we’re looking forward to.”
Whether Haslem still feels that strongly about returning for a 20th season months later is unclear. Heat president Pat Riley said earlier this week during his season-ending news conference that Haslem is welcome back whether it’s as a player or in another role.
“When you got 20 years of experience like he does and he’s knowledgeable and he has the right disposition for this organization, we want him to be in this organization as long as he wants to be,” Riley said. “I mean, defining exactly what it is that he wants to do, I would love to have UD around in whatever capacity. We haven’t discussed any of that because I still think he’s struggling with, ‘I want to be on the court.’ ... So I’ll sit down with UD. I love him to death.”
Haslem has made it known repeatedly that he’s not interested in becoming a coach when his playing career comes to an end. His hope is to instead become part of the Heat’s ownership group in the near future.
“Coaching don’t work for me. I’m going to tell you why, I got too much going on outside in this city,” Haslem said. “I got too much. I’m a business man outside of my franchises. The next step is the mental health and drug rehab facility that we’re working on. I also have affordable housing projects, my FTX partnership. I also ventured out into the medical field with my wife. So it’s just a lot going on right now. I don’t have the time to dedicate. I know coaches got to be here before the players. It’s hard enough for me to get here as it is now. So coaching doesn’t work for me.”
Haslem, who went undrafted out of the University of Florida in 2002, has spent each of his 19 NBA seasons with the Heat. It’s the longest current streak by any active player with only one team in the league.
During that time, Haslem played a role on each of the Heat’s three championship teams and became the only undrafted player in NBA history to be a franchise’s all-time leading rebounder.
Haslem hasn’t played much in recent seasons, though. He has appeared in just 28 games since the start of the 2018-19 season and has not played in a playoff game since 2016, as he has moved into more of a leadership role while serving as the Heat’s captain in each of the last 15 seasons.
Haslem’s situation is unique and special, as he’s only the fifth player to spend an entire NBA career lasting at least 19 seasons with one team. That list includes Nowitzki (21 seasons with Dallas Mavericks), Bryant (20 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers), John Stockton (19 seasons with Utah Jazz) and Tim Duncan (19 seasons with San Antonio Spurs).
Haslem is the only one to do it in his hometown.
“I think impacting this organization, that’s always going to be a priority for me,” Haslem said. “That’s always going to be something near and dear to my heart. That’s always going to be something that’s important to me. And that’s always going to be something that’s going to bring out the best in me because when it’s something that’s important to you and it’s something that you really care about, you give it the best version of yourself and it doesn’t seem like work.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 11:10 AM.
