Heat icon Udonis Haslem reaches end of NBA career: ‘I have no regrets, I am truly fulfilled’

Udonis Haslem’s playing career didn’t end with a win, but the Miami Heat icon left his final NBA game and entered retirement feeling fulfilled.

“Obviously, I wanted to get the win,” Haslem said late Monday night after the Heat’s season came to an end with a Game 5 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. “But I’m proud of my guys, I’m proud of my team. I just kept repeating to the guys that I have no regrets, I am truly fulfilled.”

After season-ending Finals loss, Heat reflects on historic run: ‘One for the journal books’

That’s because the Heat took Haslem on a ride for the final two months of his NBA career that won’t be forgotten any time soon, becoming just the second No. 8 seed in league history to advance to the NBA Finals.

“I just thank those guys for giving me this amazing memory to take with me,” Haslem said. “So I tell the guys, I have no complaints, I have no regrets. I’m thankful. They gave me a final season that I’ll never ever forget. That’s all I can ask for.”

Haslem, who turned 43 on Friday, grew up in Liberty City before leading Miami High to two state championships in 1997 and 1998. He spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Heat.

Haslem is only the third player to spend an entire NBA career lasting at least 20 seasons with one team. The others on that short list are Dirk Nowitzki (21 seasons with Dallas Mavericks) and Kobe Bryant (20 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers), and Haslem is the only one to do it in his hometown.

Now, it’s over.

“I don’t think it hits you until it hits you,” Haslem said. “I’m living in every moment until the game was over and then it’s finally over. As I was congratulating the Denver Nuggets, I started to feel it a little bit. Then when you get to the locker room, reality kicks in. But the first thing that just came to my mind is I just don’t have any complaints or regrets, man. I know we didn’t finish it the way we wanted to. But, man, what a hell of a year. I’m just thankful for that.”

Haslem only appeared in seven games this regular season and 66 regular-season games since the start of the 2016-17 season. His value toward the end of his career instead came through his leadership, as he spent the last 16 seasons as a Heat captain.

Before exiting Ball Arena on Monday night, he had one final message for his teammates after the Heat’s season ended three wins short of an NBA championship.

“I’m already thinking about next year,” Haslem said. “My message to the guys is don’t forget how you feel right now. Don’t forget everything that they wrote about you, don’t forget everything they said about you and don’t forget how you feel right now because for 20 years, I’ve been feeling the same way about the people that’s been writing about me. For 20 years, I’ve been feeling the same way about the people that didn’t draft me. And for 20 years, I’ve been fighting the same battles.

“What you see now is the finished product, it’s because I kept that chip on my shoulder. I told my guys, don’t lose it. I don’t care if you’re here or somewhere else, don’t ever forget how they feel about you.”

Undrafted out of Florida in 2002, Haslem played a role on each of the franchise’s three championship teams in 2006, 2012 and 2013 and is the Heat’s all-time leading rebounder. He’s the only undrafted player in NBA history to lead a franchise in total rebounds.

Along with holding the title of the Heat’s all-time leading rebounder, he’s also the team’s all-time leader in offensive and defensive rebounds and also ranks among Miami’s all-time leaders in games played (second), minutes (second) and field goals made (fifth).

“This team truly, truly, more so than any other team I’ve played with, just embodied who I am and what I stand for,” Haslem said. “Not letting anybody pigeonhole you and tell you what you should be, taking the attitude of we can show you better than we can tell you and literally, once again, just overcoming obstacle after obstacle. Getting knocked down, getting up and getting up and getting up. This team just embodied everything that I’ve been about for my 20 years. I’m happy they got a little taste of what it feels like to be in the Finals.”

Haslem, who will have his No. 40 jersey retired by the Heat one day in the not-too-distant future, doesn’t expect to be far when next season comes around.

Haslem’s eye has been on the next phase of his basketball career for a while, even as he looks to spend more time with his wife, Faith, and three sons, Kedonis, Elijah, and Josiah while also having businesses to tend to throughout South Florida. Haslem has made it clear on multiple occasions that he hopes to become part of the Heat ownership group led by the father-son duo of managing general partner Micky Arison and chief executive officer Nick Arison.

“Somewhere close by, I can promise you that,” Haslem said when asked where he’ll be when Heat training camp opens in a few months. “Somewhere close by. Where at? I know where I won’t be at, I won’t be in a uniform and I won’t be running suicides and all that. So that’s where I won’t be. Where I will be is close by. This is a forever thing. There’s too much love here, there’s too many sacrifices, there’s too much success and we ain’t for everybody. So there’s not too many places I can go.”