Udonis Haslem, Miami Heat reflect on rare 20-year NBA career

MIAMI (AP) — This story would never have beentold if Udonis Haslem’s mother hadn’t moved from Miami toJacksonville. Or if his stepbrother hadn’t been so smart about anairball. Or if Atlanta signed him in 2002. Or if San Antonio did in2003.

Any of those things happen differently, it all changes. Heprobably wouldn’t be with the Miami Heat right now. Maybenever.

Haslem, the NBA’s oldest active player at 42 and a three-timechampion, is in the final days with his hometown team. He’s thethird player to spend a two-decade career with one franchise,joining Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and the Los Angeles Lakers’ KobeBryant.

“All I’ve ever tried to do is take care of my people, take careof my city,” Haslem said. “I think that’s why I can sit down withthe mayor and commissioners, or I can sit down with people in the’hood, and be comfortable either way. It’s because of thesacrifices that I’ve made for this city.”

Heat President Pat Riley is more succinct.

“Udonis is Miami,” Riley said.

Haslem was on the NBA’s All-Rookie team in 2003-04. He never wasan All-Star, never All-NBA, never even a player of the week out of438 possible chances. The last time he averaged double figures fora season was 2009.

But ask anyone with the Heat, and they insist Haslem — the teamcaptain who’ll have his No. 40 jersey retired next season — hasbeen vital for two decades.

“He’s the poster child of a guy who was average, supposedly, andyet he became great,” said Chet Kammerer, who has spent 27 years inMiami’s player personnel department. “And how did he do that? Hardwork. Great spirit. Great attitude. Never ‘can’t do this,’ never‘can’t do that.’ And the success that we’ve had, he’s had more of amajor contribution over the whole 20 years than people know.”

Take the night Miami won its first NBA title in Dallas in 2006.Haslem played with a separated shoulder. He had to guard Nowitzki,the Mavericks’ best player. Nowitzki didn’t have a field goal inthe fourth quarter; Miami won 95-92, Haslem had 17 points, 10rebounds and a good cry afterward.

“The champagne got me,” he said. Everyone knows otherwise; theywere tears.

Other players got headlines that night; Dwyane Wade was FinalsMVP, Shaquille O’Neal won his fourth ring. But without Haslem,there would be no title.

“He’s always had tremendous courage,” Riley said. “Whateverendeavor, he rises to another level. And you need that. He was forreal. He was that kind of man, someone who has tremendous pridebeing from Miami.”

Many Miami kids grow up with football dreams. Haslem was one ofthem. But when his mother took a job in Jacksonville when he was 9,focus began shifting to basketball. (“Football isn’t as big there,”Haslem said.) When he was around 12, Haslem was on the court withhis older stepbrother, Sam Wooten. Haslem shot an airball. Wootencaught the ball and scored.

“Nice pass,” Wooten said, genuinely. He, and that moment, hadtremendous impact on Haslem; Wooten died in 1999 from cancer andHaslem has a “R.I.P. Sam” tattoo on his neck to pay tribute to hismentor.

Haslem had backboard-breaking dunks as a high school freshman,starred at Miami High, then starred at Florida but struggled withweight and NBA teams passed on drafting him in 2002. Atlantabrought him in for a camp that summer, but signed Ira Newble to itslast roster spot instead.

So Haslem played in France, dropping the extra weight by eatingonly turkey sandwiches. The next summer, he was offered a one-yearcontract by the Spurs.

“We couldn’t lose him,” Kammerer said.

The Heat offered two years. Haslem signed. He never left. He hadmultiple chances, often for more money. But he stayed and willremain with the organization in a to-be-determined role; Haslemwants a chance to join the ownership group.

“He’s monumentally important for our organization and our lockerroom,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He embodies everything thatwe believe in. And he has a way, because of the respect level, thathe’s able to influence and mentor literally every player in thelocker room.”

There are many stories of Haslem’s toughness. He’d dislocatefingers in practice and pop them back in like nothing happened.People still talk about his hard foul on Indiana’s Tyler Hansbroughin the 2012 playoffs, after the Pacers caused him to get eightstitches the game before and Hansbrough had just sent Wade flying.He often is the one giving impassioned locker-room speeches athalftime, even before Spoelstra gets a chance. The wall outsideMiami’s locker room is now a tribute to Haslem moments.

He’s not Miami’s best player. It could be argued nobody hasmeant more.

“There’s nobody else like him,” Spoelstra said.