Udonis Haslem


Udonis Johneal Haslem is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, where he was a key member of four NCAA tournament teams. Haslem began his professional career in France with Élan Chalon, and then signed with his hometown Miami Heat in 2003. He has won 3 NBA championships while playing for the Heat.

Early life

Haslem was born in Miami. His mother, Debra, was Puerto Rican. He attended Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, Florida, then Miami Senior High School in Miami. He helped lead Miami High to state titles in 1997 and 1998, playing alongside another future NBA player, Steve Blake. The team was coached by current South Carolina head coach Frank Martin.
However, an investigation by the Miami New Times revealed that Haslem, Blake and several other players circumvented residency requirements. The New Times reported that while he claimed to live in Miami, he actually lived in Miramar. His official school address was an efficiency apartment owned by a longtime Miami High booster, which was also a violation of Florida High School Athletic Association rules. As a result, Miami High was stripped of its 1998 title and ordered to forfeit its entire schedule.

College career

Haslem accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Billy Donovan's Gators teams from 1998 to 2002, while majoring in leisure service management. As the Gators' starting center for four years, he was part of Donovan's 1998 recruiting class that raised the national prominence of the Florida Gators basketball program, and included future Miami Heat teammate Mike Miller. Fans would yell the letter "U" in unison after his big plays. His sophomore season saw the team advance to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship game, before falling to the Michigan State Spartans 89–76. The Gators received NCAA tournament invitations four consecutive years during his college career–the first time in the program's history. During his tenure with Florida, Haslem averaged 13.7 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. He was named to the coaches' All-Southeastern Conference team four times: as the third team in 1999 and 2000, and the first team in 2001 and 2002. Haslem also ranks third in team history in points scored and tenth in rebounds. He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2012.

Professional career

Chalon-Sur-Saône (2002–2003)

Haslem went undrafted in the 2002 NBA draft largely due to his lack of size; he measured just at the NBA pre-draft camp. He accepted an offer to join the Atlanta Hawks for training camp and made their roster for the Shaw's Pro Summer League. Haslem was released by the Hawks before the start of the 2002–03 NBA season.
Haslem signed with Chalon-Sur-Saône of the French LNB Pro A. He arrived in France weighing nearly. While in France, he lost in eight months. Haslem averaged 16.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in his one season with the team.

Miami Heat (2003–present)

On August 6, 2003, Haslem signed with his hometown team, the Miami Heat. As a rookie, he played in the Rookie Challenge during All-Star weekend, earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors, and helped the Heat reach the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
In 2004–05, Haslem started in all 80 games in which he appeared, averaging 10.9 points, a career-high 9.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 33.4 minutes per game. His.540 field goal percentage ranked fifth on the Heat's all-time single-season list at the time. His.540 field goal percentage also ranked fourth in the NBA. Haslem appeared in the Rookie Challenge for the second straight year, this time for the sophomore team.
In August 2005, Haslem re-signed with the Heat. In June 2006, he helped the Heat win their maiden NBA Championship with a 4–2 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. Haslem recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds in the title-clinching game six.
On November 10, 2006, Haslem scored a career-high 28 points in a 113–106 win over the New Jersey Nets.
On January 29, 2008, Haslem, who had been the only Miami player to start all 43 games, sustained a sprained left ankle during the Heat's 117–87 loss to the Boston Celtics. He returned to action on February 23, only to play in five games before being ruled out for the rest of the season after reaggravating the ankle injury on March 7 against the Golden State Warriors. He averaged a career-high 12.0 points per game in 2007–08.
In July 2010, Haslem signed a five-year deal worth approximately $20 million to remain with the Heat, roughly $14 million less than he could have received if he accepted more lucrative offers from the Dallas Mavericks or Denver Nuggets. He continued on with a new-look Heat roster that included LeBron James and Chris Bosh teaming up with Dwyane Wade.
In November 2010, Haslem sustained a torn ligament in his foot, which sidelined him for the rest of the regular season. He returned to action in May 2011 during the playoffs. In June, the Heat were defeated in six games by the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 NBA Finals.
In the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, Haslem helped the Heat return to the NBA Finals, where they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games, with Haslem winning his second championship.
In November 2012, Haslem passed Alonzo Mourning to become the franchise leader in total rebounds with 4,808, breaking Mourning's previous record of 4,807. Haslem also became the first undrafted player to lead a franchise in rebounding. In June 2013, Haslem won his third championship after the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs in seven games in the NBA Finals. After winning his third championship, Haslem revealed he had played through much of the second half of the 2012–13 season with a torn right meniscus.
In 2013–14, Haslem lost the rotation spot he had long occupied. His on-court time continued to significantly diminish as the season progressed, making just seven appearances in January and February combined, including playing just two minutes total from January 21 to February 27. Haslem 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 in 2014 for the fourth straight year, where they were defeated in five games by the Spurs. Following the 2013–14 season, Haslem decided to opt out of the final year of his contract.
In July 2014, Haslem re-signed with the Heat on a two-year deal. He re-signed with the Heat on one-year deals in 2016, 2017 and 2018. In January 2019, Haslem indicated that the 2018–19 season would be his last. However, after the Heat's 122–99 win against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 9, Haslem said that he was uncertain about his future. In the next game, on April 10, he recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the Heat's 113–94 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. After the game, Haslem stated that he had not decided if he was retiring and the decision would not be made until the 2019–20 season.
On August 6, 2019, Haslem re-signed with the Heat to a one-year contract.

Other appearances

Haslem appeared in the music video for the song "GDFR" by Flo Rida, as well as the music video for "Bet That" by Trick Daddy, and the music video for Born-N-Raised by DJ Khaled, Pitbull, Trick Daddy, and Rick Ross.

Personal life

Haslem is married to Faith Rein-Haslem, a sports broadcaster, whom he dated for 14 years. He met Rein in 1999 while attending the University of Florida, where she was a member of the Florida Gators track and field team. In 2007, they had their first child, a son named Josiah, and they later had a second son named Elijah. In 2013, the couple were married.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Records

Miami Heat

Regular season