Udonis Haslem is currently staring down the possibility of playing his 20th season with the Miami Heat if he decides to play during the 2022-23 season.
However, at 42-years-old and as the oldest active player in the NBA, the Heat legend has made it clear he’s still figuring out if he wants to play basketball next season.
“I don’t know,” Haslem said, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “We’re thinking about it. But either way, I’m always going to be a part of the Heat family. I’m not going nowhere, whether I play or not. I’m always going to impact that organization.”
Last season, Haslem played in 13 games and averaged 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. After 20 years, Haslem isn’t a major or consistent contributor in the Heat’s lineup. The former Florida Gator added that there’s a laundry list of things he has to consider before making his final decision.
“For me,” he said, “it’s just a lot going on. I have a lot of things that I had to really, really think about. 20 years is a conversation I had with my father.”
If U.D. decides to hang it up, the Heat will be out of a team leader who also played a pivotal part as the veteran who knows what buttons to push. If Haslem leaves, it’ll be up to the Heat’s other vets like Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry to fill in that void Haslem’s absence creates.
