41-year-old Udonis Haslem has signed his 10th contract with the Miami Heat, thereby ensuring that he’ll return to action for a 19th consecutive season at the FTX Arena. The deal, worth $2.8 million, will see him remain in Miami for at least another year.
Following the signing of this deal, Haslem will become just the fifth NBA player in history to spend an entire career of 19 seasons or over with a single franchise. He follows in the steps of Dirk Nowitzki, who spent 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, Kobe Bryant, who remained with the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 seasons, and Tim Duncan and John Stockton, who spent 19 years with the San Antonio Spurs and the Utah Jazz, respectively.
While Haslem only enjoys sporadic appearances for the Heat, appearing in just one game last season, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra remains adamant that Haslem is a key component of the Heat squad.
According to Spoelstra, Haslem has been effective at guiding the team’s younger players in training as well as exhibiting a raw passion for the sport. “UD is a legacy player,” Spoelstra confirmed. “One player, one city, one Team. Thank you, UD, for coming back to lead again in your city, your organization and your team.”
