Miami Heat big man Udonis Haslem was the recent recipient of the Don Shula Sports Legend Award — an honor bestowed on select individuals who have accomplished extraordinary achievements both on the field of play of their respective sports, as well as off the court as a significant contributor to the community.
Upon receiving his award, Haslem admitted that he was a bit starstruck by the legendary former Miami Dolphins head coach, Don Shula, who he met for the first time just minutes prior to accepting his award:
“You guys got to excuse me if I’m blushing a little bit. If you’re a Miami kid and you have the opportunity to stand next to Don Shula, it’s like you’ve really come a long, long, long way,” Haslem said, via Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I probably talked his ear off for like 10 minutes outside, that’s why I was late. I was outside talking to coach about the fake spike. Was it a call? Did Dan [Marino] just do it on his own?”
Shula is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL, as he was able to bag two Super Bowl victories for the Dolphins while also holding the record for being the only coach to achieve a perfect season in the entire history of the sport.
LeBron James, Alonzo Mourning, and Pat Riley are just some of the personalities who have been honored with the prestigious Don Shula Sports Legend Award, so Haslem joins some great company.
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