Getty Udonis Haslem looks on during a 2022 NBA Eastern Conference Finals bout between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics.
The 2023 edition of the Miami Heat‘s annual Fan Festival event took place on Sunday and it was a huge success once again. In addition to providing fans the opportunity to celebrate Heat basketball alongside the players and coaches that make it all happen, the event served to raise more than $400,000 for the Miami Heat Charitable Fund and local charities.
On this particular occasion, though, there was a third objective in play. Namely, to recognize the two-decade career of Heat big man Udonis Haslem, who has just seven regular-season games and whatever happens in the postseason left to experience before his playing days are officially over.
That’s not to say, though, that he’ll be riding off into the sunset, never to be seen again. On the contrary, Haslem has designs on staying involved with the Heat. And the franchise is more than receptive in having him for as long as he still has that legendary fire.
Although he refrained from answering any other questions about the team and/or its on-court exploits, the Heat’s Godfather — team president Pat Riley — made it known that a seat at the big wigs table is being saved for Haslem.
Pat Riley: Heat Want Udonis Haslem to Remain in the Mix Beyond His Playing Career
As reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Ira Winderman — and all the other beat writers in attendance — Riley made it known publicly that the Heat will gladly take whatever they can get from Haslem moving forward.
“Pat Riley, on what comes next for Udonis Haslem following this final season: ‘He’s going to be part of the Heat if he wants to be,'” relayed the longtime team insider.
In response, Haslem said that his long-term plan is to “to sit next to Pat.”
Of course, Haslem has made little effort to conceal his post-playing career plans. After 20 years and nearly 900 games played — during which he has averaged 7.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per outing — the Miami Senior grad intends to make the jump from the bench to the executive’s box as a hands-on minority owner.
“My commitment, even though I’ll be retired, is to be here just as much as the players and the staff and be committed to the process of the future and winning… I look to take a path of ownership, but to be a working owner, not a guy who crosses his legs and sits on the sideline,” Haslem declared earlier this month, via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.
Heat Picked as Darkhorse Title Contender by Former NBA Sharpshooters
Former ballers JJ Redick and Tim Legler discussed the Heat on a recent episode of the former’s podcast, The Old Man & the Three. Specifically, they talked about Coach Spo‘s crew as the one outfit outside of the current contender’s quorum with the potential to crash the party at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Said Legler, when asked about the Heat as a darkhorse pick:
[The Heat are] probably the only one, in my opinion. Who else would you even consider in that category. Toronto? Atlanta? Would you buy into either one of those teams that have had some recent playoff success? Miami would be the one team that’s not necessarily somebody you’re going to want to see. Like, imagine if you get a Philly-Miami first-round matchup. They play close games, [Jimmy Butler] gets super hyped to play them. Spoelstra is so good in a playoff series at exposing weaknesses and forcing guys to play their weaknesses. That’s a team you wouldn’t want to play.