Udonis Haslem

Udonis Haslem
No. 40 – Miami Heat
Position Power forward / Center
League NBA
Personal information
Born June 9, 1980
Miami, Florida
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight 235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school Miami (Miami, Florida)
College Florida (1998–2002)
NBA draft 2002 / Undrafted
Pro career 2002–present
Career history
2002–2003 Chalon-sur-Saône (France)
2003–present Miami Heat
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Udonis Johneal Haslem (/juːdɑːˈnɪs dʒɑːniːˈl hæˈzlʊm/ born June 9, 1980) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Haslem played college basketball for the University of Florida, where he was a key member of four Florida Gators NCAA tournament teams. He played professional basketball in France for a year, and then signed with the Miami Heat as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He has won three NBA championships while playing for the Heat.

Early years

Haslem was born in Miami, Florida. He attended Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, Florida, then Miami Senior High School in Miami.[1] He helped lead Miami High to state titles in 1997 and 1998 (the last two of three in a row), playing alongside another future NBA player, Steve Blake. The team was coached by current South Carolina head coach Frank Martin.

However, an investigation by the Miami New Times revealed that Haslem, Blake and several other players circumvented residency requirements. The New Times reported that while he claimed to live in Miami, he actually lived in Miramar, in Broward County. His official school address was an efficiency apartment owned by a longtime Miami High booster, which was also a violation of Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) rules.[2][3] As a result, Miami High was stripped of its 1998 title and ordered to forfeit its entire schedule.

College career

Haslem accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Billy Donovan's Florida Gators basketball team from 1998 to 2002, while majoring in leisure service management. As the Gators' starting center for four years, he was part of Donovan's 1998 recruiting class that raised the national prominence of the Florida Gators basketball program, and included future Miami Heat teammate Mike Miller. Fans would yell the letter "U" in unison after his big plays. His sophomore season saw the team advance to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship game, before falling to the Michigan State Spartans 89–76. The Gators received NCAA tournament invitations four consecutive years during his college career–the first time in the program's history. During his tenure with Florida, Haslem averaged 13.7 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game.[4] Haslem also ranks third in team history in points scored (1,782) and tenth in rebounds (831). He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2012.[5][6]

Professional career

After leaving Florida in 2002, his weight ballooned in excess of 300 pounds and he became a late-preseason roster cut with the Atlanta Hawks. Haslem then signed with Chalon-Sur-Saône a professional team in France.[7] While averaging 16.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, Haslem also managed to lose 70 pounds over the course of that year, which resulted in him earning a spot in the NBA summer league.

Haslem in 2007.

He was signed by the Miami Heat as an undrafted rookie in 2003. As a rookie, he backed up Brian Grant and provided rebounding and defense. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, and played in the rookie challenge during All-Star weekend. He assumed the starting power forward position in 2004 after teammate Lamar Odom was traded as part of a package that brought in superstar center Shaquille O'Neal back to from the Los Angeles Lakers. He was helpful yet again, being a tough rebounder and developing an effective 15-foot jump-shot. He had been called a perfect complement to O'Neal's style of play, and was critical in the Heat's playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. Following the season his two-year contract was renewed after upping his rookie averages of 7.3 points and 6.3 rebounds to 10.9 points and 9.1 rebounds in his second season.

In 2005–06, he again was the starting power forward. Despite increased pressure from O'Neal battling injuries and the acquisition of three-time All-Star Antoine Walker, Haslem retained the starting spot. On April 22, 2006, in a first-round playoff game against the Chicago Bulls, Haslem was ejected for throwing his mouthpiece at referee Joe Crawford. Haslem had been upset that a foul was not called on a play on the Bulls' end of the court. After the game, he claimed that he had not deliberately aimed at Crawford, and that the mouthpiece's trajectory was an accident. He apologized to fans and to his teammates, and stated that he would also apologize to Crawford when the opportunity arose. The NBA reviewed the incident, and they suspended Haslem for game 2 of the series against the Bulls on April 24, 2006.[8]

Haslem started every playoff game as the Heat defeated the Bulls, Nets and Pistons before reaching the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. He scored 17 points in the title-clinching game 6.

On November 10, 2006, Haslem scored a career-high 28 points on 10-for-14 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds in a 113–106 win over the Nets. He would continue to start at power forward in the 2006–07 regular season. In the 2007–08 season with Shaquille O'Neal having been traded and Alonzo Mourning going down with an injury, Haslem played the center position and averaged 12 points and 9 rebounds.

In the 2008–09 season, Haslem started at power forward as the Heat reached the playoffs before falling in 7 games to the Atlanta Hawks. The following season, Haslem came off the bench with Quentin Richardson filling in the small forward position and Michael Beasley being named the starting power forward.

Following the Heat's acquisition of LeBron James and Chris Bosh, and the re-signing of Dwyane Wade, there was speculation as to whether Haslem would remain with the team or sign elsewhere. On July 12, 2010, Haslem re-signed with the Heat, even though he would have received nearly $10 million more if he had signed with the Dallas Mavericks or Denver Nuggets.[9] Thirteen games into the season, Haslem was sidelined by a torn ligament in his foot. He would return during the playoffs against the Boston Celtics and had a breakout performance in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls, scoring 13 points in 23 minutes. The Heat would advance to the Finals but would lose in 6 games to the Dallas Mavericks.

In the 2011–12 season Haslem averaged 6 points and 7.3 rebounds in 64 games backing up Chris Bosh. He would play extended minutes when Bosh was hurt during the East semifinals against the Indiana Pacers, and posted double figure scoring games in games 4 and 5. He would be suspended for game 6 following a flagrant foul in the previous game. After defeating Indiana and then defeating the Boston Celtics in 7 games, the franchise would win its second championship against the Oklahoma City Thunder with Haslem and Wade being the only remaining players from the 2006 championship team. Haslem averaged 4.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in the 2012 playoffs.

In the 2012–13 season, Haslem continued to come off the bench for the Heat. On November 21, 2012 in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Haslem passed Alonzo Mourning to become the franchise leader in total rebounds with 4,808, breaking Mourning's previous record of 4,807. Mourning was in attendance for the game and applauded Haslem for his milestone. Haslem also became the first undrafted player to lead a franchise in rebounding.[10] During the 2012–13 regular season, Haslem averaged a career-low 18.9 minutes per game, but his shooting percentage from the field rose to 51% after dropping to 42% the previous season. In the 2013 playoffs, Haslem shot 8 of 9 from the field in both Game 3 and Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. He won his third championship on June 20, 2013, when the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs in an intense seven game series.

In the 2013–14 season, Haslem played in a reduced role. The Heat finished with 54 wins and the 2nd seed in the East behind the Indiana Pacers, who won 56 games. Haslem and the Heat defeated the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals to advance to their fourth straight Finals in 2014. The Heat lost in the Finals to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.

On June 28, 2014, Haslem decided to opt out of his contract to become a free agent. On July 18, 2014, Haslem signed a two-year, $5.59 million deal with the Heat.[11]

Personal life

On August 24, 2013, Haslem married Faith Rein, a sports broadcaster in New York City, whom he dated for 14 years. He met Rein in 1999 while attending the University of Florida, where she was a member of the Florida Gators track and field team, and a couple of months later, invited her to Popeye's restaurant for a fried chicken dinner. In 2007, they had their first child, a son named Josiah, and they later had a second son, Elijah. On August 29, 2012, he proposed to her. A year later, they hosted a wedding which LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and other Miami Heat teammates and coaches attended. He also appeared in the music video for the song "GDFR" by Flo Rida.[12]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
† Denotes seasons in which Haslem won an NBA championship

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003–04 Miami 75 24 23.9 .459 .000 .765 6.3 .7 .4 .3 7.3
2004–05 Miami 80 80 33.4 .540 .000 .791 9.1 1.4 .8 .5 10.9
2005–06 Miami 81 80 30.8 .508 .000 .789 7.8 1.2 .6 .2 9.3
2006–07 Miami 79 79 31.4 .492 .000 .680 8.3 1.2 .6 .3 10.7
2007–08 Miami 49 48 36.8 .467 .000 .810 9.0 1.4 .8 .4 12.0
2008–09 Miami 75 75 34.1 .518 .000 .753 8.2 1.1 .6 .3 10.6
2009–10 Miami 78 0 27.9 .494 .000 .762 8.1 .7 .4 .3 9.9
2010–11 Miami 13 0 26.5 .512 .000 .800 8.2 .5 .5 .2 8.0
2011–12 Miami 64 10 24.8 .423 .000 .814 7.3 .7 .5 .4 6.0
2012–13 Miami 75 59 18.9 .514 .000 .711 5.4 .5 .4 .2 3.9
2013–14 Miami 46 18 14.2 .507 .000 .568 3.8 .3 .2 .3 3.8
Career 715 473 28 .495 .000 .760 7.5 .9 .5 .3 8.6

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004 Miami 13 0 15.3 .394 .000 .677 3.4 .2 .4 .2 3.6
2005 Miami 15 15 36.2 .491 .000 .739 10.0 1.0 .5 .4 9.2
2006 Miami 22 22 29.5 .493 .000 .683 7.4 .8 .6 .3 8.6
2007 Miami 4 4 25.8 .480 .000 .750 5.3 1.0 .3 .5 7.5
2009 Miami 7 7 29.1 .543 .000 .900 8.7 .4 .4 .4 8.4
2010 Miami 5 0 28.4 .351 .000 .667 7.4 .8 .2 .2 6.0
2011 Miami 12 0 24.2 .397 .000 .900 4.5 .8 .5 .3 5.3
2012 Miami 22 11 20.5 .455 .000 .743 6.4 .6 .2 .3 4.8
2013 Miami 22 19 16.2 .593 .000 .571 3.6 .3 .7 .2 5.0
2014 Miami 16 6 10.6 .459 .000 .600 2.6 .3 .1 .2 2.5
Career 138 84 22.5 .479 .000 .713 5.7 .6 .4 .3 5.9

Awards and honors

See also

References

  1. ↑ "NBA Players – Udonis Haslem". Hoops Hype. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
  2. ↑ Powell, Robert Andrew (March 5, 1998). "Dream Team". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  3. ↑ Powell, Robert Andrew (July 2, 1998). "Double Dribbling". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  4. ↑ http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/udonis-haslem-1.html
  5. ↑ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Florida Announces 2012 UF Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees". GatorZone. September 7, 2011. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  7. ↑ Tom Haberstroh (November 21, 2012). "Udonis Haslem: Unlikely rebounding story". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  8. ↑ Linda Robertson (April 23, 2006). "What will happen to Udonis Haslem?". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved April 23, 2006.
  9. ↑ "2010 NBA Free Agents: Busy Miami Heat keep Udonis Haslem, agree with guard Mike Miller". ESPN. July 13, 2010. Archived from the original on July 14, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Udonis Haslem sets franchise record". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 21, 2012. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  11. ↑ HEAT Re-Signs Udonis Haslem
  12. ↑ Mark Heyes (September 3, 2013). "Miami Heat Player Udonis Haslem's Wedding Story Is Strange And Beautiful". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2014.

External links