Inside The Heat

Miami Heat Set Date For Udonis Haslem Jersey Retirement Ceremony

Udonis Haslem will become the fifth Miami Heat player to have his jersey retired
Shandel Richardson|
Miami Heat Set Date For Udonis Haslem Jersey Retirement Ceremony
Miami Heat Set Date For Udonis Haslem Jersey Retirement Ceremony

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Miami Heat

When Udonis Haslem joined the Miami Heat 20 years ago, he never expected this. 

He didn't think he would ever become a rotation player after being an undrafted free agent. He never figured he would win three NBA championships. He never thought he would go down as one of the most beloved players in franchise history. 

It will reach its peak when he receives one of the top honors in teams history when his No. 40 jersey is retired Jan. 19 when the Heat play the Atlanta Hawks at Kaseya Center. 

Haslem joins an impressive list of Heat players with their jersey retired. It includes Dwyane Wade, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Hardaway and Chris Bosh. 

When Haslem retired, he left the fans, organization and former teammates a heartfelt message on his Instagram page: 

"20 years…it’s impossible to put into words what these past 20 years have meant, but y’all know me. I’m damn sure gonna try…," Haslem wrote. "I consider myself extremely blessed to say I can leave this game with no regrets. The championships, the accolades, the brotherhood, man it’s hard not to be at peace. Undrafted to a 3x Champion, All-Rookie 2nd Team, Teammate Of The Year, the oldest player to play in an NBA finals game, Miami Heat’s all-time leading rebounder and longest-tenured player, the list goes on…:"

Expect even more of a celebration at the jersey retirement ceremony. 

Could Udonis Haslem ever work his way into the Miami Heat Mount Rushmore conversation?

Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat, a Fan Nation channel for Sports Illustrated. He has covered the NBA since 2010.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

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For any Heat or NBA questions, please email shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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