UCLA Basketball: Former Bruin Jamie Jaquez Reached Out to Heat Legend After Draft

There were few franchises that could have selected Jaime Jaquez in the 2023 NBA Draft that would have been better for his development than the Miami Heat. Of course, a number come to mind that could have used the services of a 6'7 guard such as the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers but when it comes to learning the small details of the professional game and working for your minutes, South Beach was the spot for Jaquez.

Just seeing some of the names that have suited up for that franchise such as Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Alonzo Mourning and Jimmy Butler being among the most popular, they all bought in to the system that head coach Erik Spoelstra and executive Pat Riley built. There has been plenty of stories that have surfaced from former players about all of the conditioning and body fat standards that must be met but Jaquez appears to be ready for it all.

And one player that spent 20 seasons with the Miami Heat in Udonis Hassles truly embodies what it means to remain loyal and believe in an organization. No matter how many jokes he heard from fans, he knew how important his role was on the team year after year. Jaquez made sure UD was one of the first people he contacted after getting selected in the draft.

Jaime Jaquez Jr on Paul George’s podcast, asked if he had reached out to anybody on the Heat after being drafted:

“Udonis Haslem.” pic.twitter.com/VsRAn9seYc
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) July 7, 2023

"Yeah I think the one UD or Udonis Haslem," said Jaquez. "I reached out to him, let him know he's the OG of the Miami Heat. I gotta check in with him, hopefully we go grab some lunch when I get out to Miami but like I said, I couldn't be more happy."

(Via Podcast P)

Jaquez is already more mature than most seeing that he is 22-years-old and spent years in college and Miami will only help grow even more!