Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem announced at his summer camp that he will sign a new deal and return for his 20th season this fall.
The 42-year-old is a Miami legend who not only has played his whole career in Miami but he also played college hoops in Florida as well as attended Miami Senior for high school.
Entering the offseason, the offer to return was on the table but Haslem decided to sit on it for a bit. He’s definitely a different player than he was during the previous Miami championship runs but he is bigger than the stats on the court. The respect his teammate have for him and the veteran leadership he provides during games, in practice, and off the court is immeasurable and holds a ton of value for this Miami Heat team.
Throughout the day, he spoke so much about his love for the city and his dad which he his dedicating this “last dance” to them.
“One more for pops, one more for this city.”
Udonis Haslem
His return will mark his 20th season in the NBA which is a rare occurrence in all sports but especially in professional basketball. Only 8 players have done it so far. This season, Haslem won’t be the only one reaching 20 seasons in the league as Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James will also be entering their 20th season.
Also worthy noting, Haslem will become just the third player to play all 20 season with one franchise. Dirk Nowitzki played all his 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks and Kobe Bryant played his 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers
UD played just 13 game last season for the Heat and averaged 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds. Over his 19 seasons, he’s played in 872 regular season games and 147 playoff games. He’s averaging 7.5 points on 48.9 percent shooting and 6.6 rebounds per game during the regular season.
Photo for the article via Giselle Espinales.
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