After the Heat came within one game of making a return trip to the NBA Finals, Udonis Haslem is not yet ready to hang up his sneakers.
The veteran forward, who has spent his entire NBA career with the Heat, announced on Sunday he would be returning to Miami for his 20th NBA season. Haslem broke the news at his youth basketball camp at Miami Senior High Shool, his alma mater, per Shandel Richardson of Inside the Heat.
A three-time champion, Haslem is the Heat’s franchise leader in career rebounds (5,780). He will join Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowtizki as the only players in NBA history to play 20 seasons with the same team.
Haslem also said that this would be his final season before retiring, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
Haslem starred for four seasons at Florida before going undrafted in 2002. After a year playing in France, he signed with the Heat ahead of the 2003-04 season, immediately becoming a key contributor. He started 80 games in each of the following two seasons, and averaged 8.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game during Miami’s 2006 postseason run, which culminated in the franchise’s first NBA title.
Miami’s forward played sparingly in recent years, never appearing in more than 16 games in any season since the 2016-17 campaign. He’s established a reputation as one of the most respected veterans in the league, and is often cited as a trusted mentor by younger players.
