NBA Rumors: Udonis Haslem makes retirement plans clear

Udonis Haslem has been a member of the Miami Heat for two decades. But he’s made it clear this is his last year and the team is set to honor him.

Honestly, it would be more surprising if Udonis Haslem was back in a Heat uniform next season. He’s 42 years old and in his 20th season with the team, playing on his seventh consecutive one-year deal. He’s long since been purely a locker room leader — playing just 64 games and 452 minutes total over the past seven years.

But he’s also become such an institution it’s hard to imagine the Heat without him. But it sounds like that’s where we’re headed. In a recent conversation with Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, Haslem made it clear this is his farewell tour: “I’m done no matter what happens. I gave my contribution. I think at this stage, there needs to be another voice for these guys. It’s time for somebody to step up and be the voice.”

Where does Haslem rank among the greatest Miami Heat players of all time?

Haslem has always been a role player but he is all over the Heat record books. He’s won three rings, bridging the Dwyane Wade solo and Heatles iterations of the team. Only Wade has played more games and minutes in a Heat uniform. He’s seventh in franchise history in points, 10th in steals and blocks and first in rebounds.

As Chiang noted in his article the Heat already have fairly robust plans to honor him:

With Haslem’s final regular-season home game just about a month away, the Heat announced Sunday on 305 Day at 3:05 p.m. that it will celebrate the Miami native’s 20-year NBA career with “4 Days of 40.” The organization is describing the four-day long celebration as a “fun, fan-first campaign celebrating Haslem’s unique journey and lifelong connection to the city of Miami.”

Not bad for an undrafted player who never made a single All-Star game.

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