Heat veteran Haslem to retire at end of season: 'I'm done no matter what happens'
Miami Heat veteran Udonis Haslem is calling it a career at the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign.
"I'm done," Haslem told Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. "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."
Haslem broke into the Association in 2003 as an undrafted forward out of Florida. The 42-year-old spent his entire career in South Beach and is the longest tenured player in franchise history. He's one of 10 players with 20 or more NBA seasons under their belt.
Dwyane Wade is the lone player with more appearances than Haslem in a Heat uniform. Haslem is the team's all-time rebounding leader and sits seventh on its scoring list.
Haslem started 501 contests and won three titles as a member of his hometown club. Early in his two-decade tenure, Haslem was among the NBA's top rebounders, finishing in the top 20 in boards per game on three occasions. During the late stages of his career, Haslem played sparsely as he shifted into a leadership role.
Miami will honor Haslem later this month with a four-day long celebration.
"Obviously, there is a tremendous amount of love and respect in this organization for Udonis. The marketing department, we absolutely love Udonis. He has been great to us in his 20 years here,” said Heat executive vice president and chief marketing officer Michael McCullough.
"We've been trying to go out of our way thinking about how we can properly say thank you and recognize what he's meant to this organization."