Photo by Elsa via Getty Images
Audio By Carbonatix
When Udonis Haslem made the Miami Heat as a rookie in 2003, many people celebrated on social media.
And by “many people,” we mean probably just his family. Not many people knew Haslem – an undrafted Florida Gator who’d just spent a year playing in France with a club named Chalon-Sur-Saône – would be a future Hall of Famer.
Twenty years later, people on social media are still celebrating Udonis Haslem becoming a member of the Miami Heat. This time, the occasion was a Sunday announcement in front of hundreds of his basketball campers and media that he’d be returning one more time, for his 20th, and final, season in the NBA.
UD says he doesn’t want a farewell tour. To him having won championships and then mentoring guys who went on to establish themselves as NBA players is his reward. He doesn’t need anything but that.
— Will Manso (@WillManso) August 21, 2022
Udonis Haslem added that this will be his final season. “One more year,” he said.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) August 21, 2022
To put Haslem’s longevity in perspective: In 2003, if anyone was celebrating UD joining the Miami Heat it was on MySpace. Twitter and Facebook didn’t exist yet. Let that sink in.
This time around, Twitter is definitely a thing, and Heat fans fired up their tweet machines to celebrate “UD” running it back one last time.
!!!!!! @ThisIsUD pic.twitter.com/fVcWcnbbi2
— Greg Sylvander (@GregSylvander) August 21, 2022
Heat in 5 you disgusting cowards LFG https://t.co/o0n65N8jZD
— Cortes (@Ryan_Cortes) August 21, 2022
Bigger than basketball. Welcome back OG. Hopefully we can send you into retirement with one more ring https://t.co/YnD6nVQvAP
— Austin (@ChefTrillie_) August 21, 2022
Year 20 @ThisIsUD!!! pic.twitter.com/ldNDutUMWw
— Brendan Tobin (@Brendan_Tobin) August 21, 2022
Udonis Haslem had a goal of reaching 20 NBA seasons because his father, Johnnie Haslem, who wanted him to reach that milestone.
UD’s father was his best friend who passed away in 2021. UD labeled that “the toughest time I’ve ever had to encounter.” pic.twitter.com/uXS9uizoyT
— ð™ƒð™€ð˜¼ð™ ð™‰ð˜¼ð™ð™„ð™Šð™‰ (@HeatvsHaters) August 21, 2022
Needless to say, Heat fans are thrilled that UD – the last remaining on-court link to the franchise’s championship history – decided he has one more season of mentoring in his bag before he calls it a career. Anytime you tie the great Kobe Bryant or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on a list, you’re doing something incredibly right.
Not only does a 20th season look beautiful, aesthetically, but it situates Udonis among a small group of NBA players to have accomplished such a feat. Haslem now ranks in the Top 10 for most NBA seasons played, keeping pace with both LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, also entering their 20th campaigns.
This is wild to look at.
Via @statmuse pic.twitter.com/bkWRtbWkwf
— Ryan Yousefi (@Rizzmiggiz) August 21, 2022
So there you have it, Heat fans. One last season to soak in the greatness that is Udonis Haslem, a man who has stepped onto the basketball court for the Miami Heat each day for as long as most undergraduate students attending the University of Miami have been alive.
Welcome back, UD!
