Miami Heat owner Micky Arison spoke at length on Saturday, as he was one of the people selected to be enshrined in this year’s class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
During his lengthy time speaking at Symphony Hall, he thanked Heat legend Udonis Haslem for being the “caretaker” of Heat culture over the course of his lengthy playing career.
“UD, thank you for being a caretaker of Heat culture for 20 years,” Arison said.
Arison probably mentioned 20 years because Haslem spent the entirety of his 20-year career in the best basketball league with the Heat organization. Haslem played plenty of different roles with the Heat over the years from consistent starter to important bench player to benchwarmer, yet his desire to win at the highest level remained a constant throughout his career.
The three Heat title teams from 2006 through 2013 have helped establish the team as the marquee franchise it is today, and Haslem is one of only two players who played for every one of the championship squads in franchise history. Former star guard Dwyane Wade is the only other player who checks that box, and he’s probably the best Heat player of all time.
While three championships to one’s name is nothing to sneeze at, Haslem was close to winning a fourth ring in his last pro season, the 2022-23 campaign. In the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Heat made a historic run to the championship series as the No. 8 seed in the East, but big man Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets proved to be too much for Miami. The Heat lost the championship series in a gentleman’s sweep after splitting the first two games in Denver.
Haslem is a Heat lifer to the extent that even though his playing career is firmly in the rearview mirror, he still works for the organization. He currently serves as the Heat’s vice president of basketball development, and hopefully he will help members of Miami’s young core improve their games in the years to come.
All in all, it was a classy move for Arison to give Haslem a shout-out, and Heat fans and players alike aren’t going to forget his contributions to the team on and off the court anytime soon.