40 years and 17 seasons in the NBA. For some it would be enough, but not for Udonis Haslem. The center has announced that he will continue one more season with the Miami Heat, and has also stated that he does not rule out prolonging his career once the 20-21 season ends.
NBA regulations prevent the player and his team from negotiating before November 20, and he will not be able to sign a contract until the 22nd of the same month, but the truth is that the data of this connection is not a secret for anyone. As he has been doing lately, Haslem will sign for a year in exchange for the minimum wage for a player of his seniority, which will mean a figure of 2.56 million dollars.
With this, Udonis is placed in a place reached by few in terms of longevity. Without going any further, the next time you step on the track, you will become the oldest player to play a game with the Heat, and this renewal makes him one of the six players in all history to have such a long career in a single franchise. The other five are Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas (21 years old), Kobe Bryant in the Lakers (20), Tim Duncan in San Antonio (19), John Stockton in Utah (19) and Reggie Miller in Indiana (18).
An assistant on the staff
Still, Haslem’s role in Miami has not been that of a regular player for a long time. The pivot played just 44 minutes last season, and has four years without exceeding 20 games played, since his work has more to do with serving as a mentor and as a veteran figure in the locker room. This is how Spoelstra defined it during the last Finals.
“He brings tremendous leadership and a lot of stability. He does it at all levels, not just with young people. He acts as a leader and mentor even with the coaching staff, and I am delighted with him ”he said.
In this sense, a conversation between Haslem and Butler took on special relevance during the fifth game of the series against the Bucks, in which it was the veteran who inspired Jimmy to take his best version and close the series. However, beyond specific anecdotes, the one of the Heat perfectly represents what a veteran figure of his caliber in a squad represents, and surely anyone in Miami would see with good eyes continuing to pay him the minimum wage as long as he is willing to continue complying with said paper.
(Cover photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
