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Udonis Haslem Says He’s Playing 20th Season For His Late Father
Udonis Haslem is among the most popular veteran players in the NBA. He has been in the league for 19 seasons and revealed yesterday, that he will return for his 20th season with the Miami Heat.
When he’ll play his first game this season, he’ll then join Kobe Bryant (20) and Dirk Nowitzki (21), as the only players in history to have played 20+ season for one franchise.
Haslem is 42 years old and is already way past his playing days. As a matter of fact, he has only appeared in only 18 games and has logged in just 7.2 minutes of playing time over the past three NBA seasons.
Despite being a shell of his old self, the Heat have been more than willing to give Haslem a contract as they understand his importance to the team by being a respected veteran, emotional leader and a good locker room player.
Haslem’s decision to return however, is directly linked to a wish of his father, Johnnie Haslem, who passed away last year.
His father wanted him to reach the 20-year milestone.
“It’s an ending that I never envisioned. It’s hard, somebody that plays father, mentor, best friend, hero. My dad played it all … I have decided to follow through on what me and my father talked about and I will finish what I started. I will play 20 years. I will play this year.”
