Retired since the end of last season, Udonis Haslem will be in the spotlight from January 19. The Heat have indeed announced that the ceremony to retire the number 40 of its former interior player will take place at halftime of the match against Atlanta, in a little less than a month. This will be an opportunity for the club to pay tribute to the career of the man who embodied the DNA of the Heat franchise for twenty years.
Arriving from Chalon-sur-Saône on August 6, 2003, without going through the Draft, he will have only known one team in the NBA, Miami, with which he won three championship titles, in 2006, 2012 and 2013.
He thus became the best rebounder in the history of the franchise, and remains to this day second in the number of games played (879), behind Dwyane Wade.
“It's about honoring a huge legacy, paying tribute to twenty years of an incredible player, built for the title and, more importantly, the best leader possible,” rejoiced Pat Rileypresident of the Heat, via a press release. “He’s going to have his day and I can’t wait to see his jersey hanging on the ceiling.”
Udonis Haslem will be the sixth Heat player to have his number retired, following Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. He is also the third player in NBA history to have played at least twenty seasons in the same franchise, along with Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki.
It was well worth a tribute worthy of the name for the man who now holds the position of vice-president in charge of franchise development, working for the Heat and the Sioux Falls Skyforce (G-League).
