Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Udonis Haslem Has Storybook Ending To 20-Year Career

Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem finished with 24 points, including three 3-pointers in his final regular season game
Shandel Richardson|
Miami Heat's Udonis Haslem Has Storybook Ending To 20-Year Career
Miami Heat's Udonis Haslem Has Storybook Ending To 20-Year Career

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Miami Heat team captain Udonis Haslem knew the jokes would come. 

Haslem played his final regular season game Sunday against the Orlando Magic, so he expected some ribbing. Before the game, the Heat honored Haslem for his 20-year career. 

His teammates presented him a rocking chair to help ease him into retirement. 

"I didn't want to sit in that damn chair until I saw the three trophies on the side," Haslem said. "When I saw the three trophies on this side, I was like, `OK, I can sit in it ... It's all fun and jokes. I've got to thank these guys because they allowed me to reinvent myself." 

Haslem didn't disappoint in his farewell. The Heat's all-time leading rebounder scored 24 points and hit three 3-pointers. He had only hit six from the arc previously. 

He is one of three players to spend 20 seasons with the same team, joining Dirk Nowitzki and the late Kobe Bryant. 

"I get a lot of flack for not really being out there necessarily with the guys but I do so much behind the scenes, playing with these guys, working with these guys," Haslem said. "Through that work, I'm allowed to stay in shape and I'm allowed to stay active. I'm just thankful that at 42 that I can go out there and play this game at a high level like this." 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

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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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