Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem had his jersey retired by the team on Friday, and tributes are pouring in.
Perhaps no player understands Haslem's impact on the Heat and their championship runs over a decade ago than LeBron James, who was teammates with Haslem on the Heat from 2010-14.
LeBron paid tribute to the retired Heat legend on his Instagram page:
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra shared his thoughts on Haslem's jersey retirement:
“Really mixed emotions about it. We had a great dinner last night, it was really just cool seeing a bunch of Heat lifers show up for that…to celebrate UD's impact on our entire organization, on our hearts, and all of 305 down here,” Spoelstra said. “One common thing that UD said is just how fast it goes, then all of a sudden, you have a night like this. Now, not everybody can have a night like this and that just speaks to UD's greatness as a culture steward and the relationship that is created here in this organization, it's remarkable. You look at the names that are up there and UD's name is going to be up there tonight, it's surreal.”
Haslem spoke about his journey to Heat immortality.
“I think it’s huge for not just me, but for my family and obviously for the city of Miami,” Haslem said. “Being a hometown kid and not doing it the traditional way. Having to go through a lot of adversity, not being drafted, not being maybe what people would consider a household name or whatever.”
Haslem went undrafted out of the University of Florida in 2002 and ended up winning three championships and appearing in seven NBA Finals.
“So for me, I think, there are going to be more kids that are going to look at my story and be able to relate to my story because everybody can’t be a LeBron James or a Kevin Durant,” Haslem said. “Most people are going to have to be somebody like myself, who has to overcome obstacles and has to work for a lot of things.”’
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