Udonis Haslem to return to Miami Heat for 20th season

Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Long-time Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem announces his return to team for 20th season

By Adam Stites | Last updated 8/21/22

Udonis Haslem announced Sunday at a youth camp that he intends to re-sign with the Miami Heat and play his 20th season with the team.

"I have decided to follow through with what me and my father had talked about and I will finish what I started and I will play this year, because I talked about that with my father," Haslem told reporters.

Udonis Haslem says he’s coming to finish what he discussed with his late father about playing 20 seasons. Says he’s gonna finish it for his dad and his city. pic.twitter.com/sdxKB1iZyN
— Will Manso (@WillManso) August 21, 2022

Haslem's father, Johnnie, played semi-pro basketball and died in August 2021.

Haslem, 42, was the oldest player in the NBA last season, but appeared in only 13 games. He only played in five games in the two years prior and hasn't played more than 16 games since the 2015-16 season. Last year, he averaged 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds in the 6.4 minutes of action he saw per game.

During his 19-year career with Miami, Haslem has won three NBA titles and racked up 6,559 points with 5,780 rebounds. Haslem is now set to become the ninth player -- along with Vince Carter, Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, and Jamal Crawford -- who have played at least 20 NBA seasons.

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