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Miami Heat retires no. 40 jersey to honour retiring Udonis Haslem
NBASaturday, 20 January 2024 at 16:00
Udonis Haslem was given a rich tribute as he announced his retirement from the sport after spending two decades with the Miami Heat.
The 43-year-old was one of the three players to spend 20 years or more with a single franchise. The other two were Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant who played for the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers. In honour of his services, the Heat announced the retirement of his jersey number 40.
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While announcing the decision, Haslem was emotional and saluted his teammates and the city. "You all got the money on me crying, don't y'all? I know you all think I'm going to cry," he said. "Yeah, it's hard. It's hard. It's hard. Heat Nation, it's been an absolute honor, man."
He was given a rich tribute by some of the notable individuals who are currently or formerly associated with the franchise. Heat president Pat Riley stated that Haslem’s legacy should continue.
"Udonis Haslem, his force mattered and it counted," he said. "And that's one of the reasons why we're hanging his jersey here today. ... Udonis Haslem is going to leave a very big footprint."
Haslem, who started his Heat career at the age of 23 in the 2003-04 season, ended up representing the franchise in 879 games. He started 501 of those games. Over the course of his career, he averaged 7.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
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