- Udonis Haslem
- HT/WT: 6'8, 235 lbs
- Birthdate: 6/9/1980 (42)
- College: Florida
- Draft Info: Undrafted 2002 (MIA)
- Experience: 20th season
Udonis Johneal Haslem born June 9, 1980. He is a professional basketball player for the Miami of the NBA. Haslem played college basketball for the Florida Gators, where he was a key member of four NCAA Tournament teams. Haslem started his career in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, before signing with his hometown Miami Heat in 2003, becoming the longest-serving Heat player in franchise history. He also won three NBA championships during his time with the Heat.
Udonis Haslem Early Life and career
Haslem was born in Miami. His father, John, played college basketball for Stetson Hatters from 1972 to 1974. His mother, Debra, is Puerto Rican. He is from Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, Florida, and then Miami High School in Miami. He helped lead Miami High to state championships in 1997 and 1998 (the last two of three straight) and played alongside another future NBA player, Steve Black. The team is coached by Frank Martin, former South Carolina head coach.
Though, an investigation by the Miami New Times revealed that Udonis Haslem, Black, and several other players circumvented residency requirements. The New Age reports that while he claims to live in Miami, he actually lives in Miramar. His official school address is a high-efficiency apartment owned by a longtime supporter of Miami High School, which also violates Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) rules. Miami High was stripped of its 1998 championship title and ordered to forgo it’s whole schedule.
College Career
Haslem was part of Donovan’s 1998 recruiting class that raised the national profile of the Florida Gators basketball program including future Miami Heat teammate Mike Miller. The team advanced to the NCAA Men’s Division I basketball tournament before losing to the Michigan Spartans 89-76 during his sophomore season. The Gators received invitations to the NCAA Tournament four years in a row during his collegiate career-the first time in the program’s history. Haslem averaged 13.7 points and 6.7 rebounds during his tenure at Florida State. He was selected to coach the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) teams four times: 1999 and 2000 as the third team and 2001 and 2002 as the first team. Haslem also ranks 3rd in team history in points (1,782) and rebounds (831). Udonis was inducted into the University of Florida Sports Hall of Fame as “Gator Great” in 2012.
Professional career
Chalon-Sur-Saône (2002–2003)
Haslem was undrafted in the NBA draft 2002, largely because of his short stature. He was just 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 meters) tall in NBA pre-draft training camp. He accepted an invitation to join the Atlanta Hawks’ training camp and made a roster for Shaw’s pro summer league. Haslem was waived by the Hawks before the start of the 2002-03 NBA season.
Haslem signs with France’s LNB Pro A’s Chalon-Sur-Saône. Haslem arrived in France weighing nearly 300 pounds (140 kilograms). During his time in France, he lost 50 pounds (23 kg) in eight months. [14] Haslem averaged 9.4 rebounds and 16.1 points in one season with the team.
Miami Heat (2003–present)
2003–2008: All-Rookie honors and first championship
On Aug. 6, 2003, Haslem signed with his hometown team, the Miami Heat. As a rookie, he participated in the Rookie Challenge at All-Star Weekend, earned second-team All-Rookie honors in the NBA, and helped the Heat reach the Eastern Conference semifinals.
In the 2004-05 season, Haslem played in 80 games, averaging 10.9 points, 1.4 assists in 33.4 minutes per game and a career-high 9.1 rebounds. His .540 field goal percentage was fifth in single-season history for the Heat at the time. His .540 field goal percentage also ranks fourth in the NBA. He appeared in the Rookie Challenge for the second year in a row, this time for the sophomore team.
He re-signed with the Miami Heat in August 2005. He helped the Heat win their first NBA championship with a 4-2 win over the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals in June 2006. Haslem had 17 points and 10 rebounds in Game 6 of the title.
Haslem scored a career-high 28 points in a 113-106 win over the New Jersey Nets on November 10, 2006.
On January 29, 2008, Haslem – the only Miami player to start all 43 games of the 2007-08 season – lost to the Boston Celtics 117-87 Sprained his left ankle during the game. He returned to action on Feb. 23 in just five games and was ruled out for the rest of the season after his ankle injury worsened again against the Golden State Warriors on March 7. In 2007-08, he averaged a career-high 12.0 points per game.
2009–2013: Back-to-back championships
In July 2010, Haslem signed a five-year contract with the Heat worth about $20 million. The contract would pay him roughly $14 million less than he would have received had he accepted a more lucrative offer from the Dallas Mavericks or Denver Nuggets. He went on to use an all-new Heat lineup that included LeBron James and Chris Bosh teaming up with Dwyane Wade. In November 2010, Haslem tore ligaments in his foot, which kept him out for the remainder of the regular season. He returned to the game during the playoffs in May 2011. In June, the Heat were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the 2011 NBA Finals.
He helped the Miami return to the NBA Finals in 2012. The team defeated the Thunder in five games, and Haslem won his second championship.
In November 2012, Haslem surpassed Alonzo Mourning with 4,808 rebounds to become the team’s total rebounding leader, breaking Mourning’s previous record of 4,807. Udonis Haslem also became the first undrafted player to lead his team in rebounding. Haslem won his third championship after beating the San Antonio Spurs in seven games in the NBA Finals in June 2013. After winning his third championship, Haslem revealed that he played with a torn right meniscus for much of the second half of the 2012-2013 season.
2013–2022: Later years
In 2013-14, Haslem lost his long-held rotation position. His minutes continued to decrease significantly as the season went on. Haslem played just seven games in total in January and February, and just two minutes total from Jan. 21 to Feb. 27. He played in just 46 regular-season games in 2013-14, averaging 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. The Heat returned to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year in 2014, where they were defeated by the Spurs in five games. After the 2013-14 season, Haslem decided to withdraw from the final year of his contract.
Haslem signed a two-year extension with the Heat in July 2014. He signed one-year extensions with the Heat in 2016, 2017, and 2018. In January 2019, Haslem said the 2018-19 season would be his last. However, in April 2019, Haslem said he had not yet made a decision on whether to retire and would not make a decision until the 2019-20 season.
On August 6, 2019, Haslem signed a one-year extension with the Heat. In the 2019-20 season, Haslem played in four games, including starting at power forward in the Heat’s regular-season finale loss to the Indiana Pacers. In that season, he became the 30th player in league history to play after age 40 and the first modern undrafted player to play at that age. Udonis Haslem became the oldest active player in the NBA in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic after Vince Carter retired during the season lockout. The Heat reached the 2020 NBA Finals but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games; Haslem is on the active roster but not in the playoffs.
On November 28, 2020, Haslem renewed his contract with the Heat. For the 2020-21 season, he played one game against the Philadelphia 76ers on May 13, 2021. Haslem scored 4 points in two minutes off the bench before being ejected for a scrimmage with Dwight Howard, making Haslem, 40, the oldest player to be ejected in the past 20 years.
On August 15, 2021, Haslem renewed his contract with the Heat.
Other appearances
Haslem appears in the music video for Flo Rida’s song “GDFR”, Trick Daddy’s “Bet That” and DJ Khaled, Pitbull, Trick Daddy’s Born-N-Raised music video, and Rick Ross.
Personal life
Haslem is married to sports broadcaster Faith Rein-Haslem, whom he has dated for 14 years. Haslem met Rein in 1999 while attending the University of Florida, who was part of the Florida Gators track team. The couple has three sons. He also has two brothers and three sisters.