Aged 42 and in his very last NBA season, Udonis Haslem was playing his last regular season game this Sunday evening, and probably his last game as he should not play in the postseason. In front of a Miami audience won over to their cause, UD made a perfect comeout!
“A lot of people think I’m just drinking coffee here and twiddling my thumbs.”
If he is highly respected at the Miami Heat for all he has accomplished in 20 years of career, Udonis Haslem has also heard the little jokes made once morest him in recent years, he who invented the role of assistant player subscriber on the bench. So for its very last game of the regular season, a match without stake once morest neighbor Orlando, UD wanted to take advantage of a “big” playing time to prove that it still had basketball in its hands. Mission accomplished, and with the manner please.
25 minutes of play, 24 points, 3 winning shots scored and even an alley-oop converted into a counter-attack. No doubt, it was his day at UD!
AND UDONIS HASLEM ????
Playing in his final regular season game
Has 13 POINTS in 9 MINUTES, his 7th career THREE and an ALLEY-OOP DUNK!13 is the most points he’s scored in 8 years! pic.twitter.com/KbqW0zinNz
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) April 9, 2023
In front of his family, legend Dwyane Wade, all the Heat’s elite (Pat Riley, Alonzo Mourning…) and a Miami audience cheering on his every move, Haslem has grown wings, not hesitating to swing banderillas from the car park, to play one-on-one with their backs to the basket and to chain shots from mid-distance. When you realize the career UD have had since joining the Heat in 2003, you’ve earned the right to do whatever you want in your last game. So Udonis made the most of it.
As a symbol, Udonis Haslem shone when the opportunity arose, he who was a role model in preparation throughout his career. It had been since April 10, 2019, the date of his great pal D-Wade’s last game, that UD had not reached 25 minutes in an NBA meeting. And he had not scored as much since November 14, 2009, he who has just equaled – with 24 points – his third biggest career offensive performance.
Eternal OUT!
The standing ovation in Miami for Udonis Haslem’s last outing ????
24 points for his last game, the perfect outing for the legend!pic.twitter.com/0vRh2ChG97
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) April 9, 2023
