Haslem’s romantic career as a player came to an end.
The Miami Heat won 123-110 in a match against Orlando Magic in the 2022-2023 NBA regular season held at the Caseya Center in Miami on the 10th (hereinafter Korean time).
The game on this day was highly likely to be the last game in which veteran Udonis Haslem, who debuted on the NBA stage in the 2003-2004 season and walked the court wearing only a Miami uniform for 20 seasons, stepped on the court as a player.
Miami advanced to the play-in tournament in 7th place in the East, but Haslem played only 46 minutes in six games before this game, so fans can see Haslem, who announced his retirement at the end of this season, play as a player. It was virtually your last chance.
Haslem, born in 1980, has been indispensable to Miami, although he hasn’t had many appearances in recent years. Haslem, who was always with the team when Miami lifted trophies in 2006, 2012 and 2013, played a veteran role as a locker room leader and set the mood for the team even at the age of 42. 메이저놀이터
When Haslem announced his retirement, Miami announced that he would permanently retire his number 40, and the scene where Haslem’s teammate Bam Adebayo delivered a rocking chair with the number 40 painted on its back as a retirement gift could be seen in the scene. You can see how important Haslem was in Miami.
As if to repay the fans who filled the arena, Haslem showed a performance that exceeded expectations with unusual body movements.
Haslem, who quickly changed his record for most points in a game since 2015, by scoring 13 points in the first quarter alone, including an alley-oop dunk in the last minute of the first quarter, finished the game with 24 points. He had only scored more than 24 points in a game four times before the game, and ended his career with a splendid record in his retirement game that was ranked in the top five of his career.
After the match, Haslem stood in front of fans in the middle of the court holding a microphone. He said, “I just wanted to say thank you so much to the fans who always gave me so much love when I was a starter, when I was a sixth man, when I wasn’t playing. It was the reason,” he said sincerely.
Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Haslem are only three players in history who have played for 20 years at a club. Even in an era where franchise stars easily change uniforms for a championship ring, Haslem kept his fading romance to the end and exited beautifully.