Udonis Haslem lands notable front-office job with Heat

It may have taken a few years too long, but Udonis Haslem has finally made his way into the Miami Heat front office.

The Heat announced this week that they are hiring the franchise legend Haslem as their new vice president of basketball development. Haslem’s responsibilities will include serving as a resource to Miami’s coaching staff, mentoring players on the Heat and on the Sioux Falls Skyforce (Miami’s G League affiliate), and representing the organization in both community and business affairs.

The 43-year-old Haslem played all 20 seasons of his NBA career in Miami. He retired in July as the team’s all-time leading rebounder and a crucial member of all three of their championship teams (also making the Finals with them a total of seven times).

Of course, Haslem was a PINO (player in name only) for the Heat over the last half-decade or so. He only made 37 total game appearances (regular season and playoffs) from 2018-23, and his biggest highlight during that stretch was probably the time he got ejected for punking Dwight Howard. 

But Haslem still played an important role as a de facto coach and lead-by-example veteran, regardless of his playing time. Now Haslem will continue many of those same duties in an official capacity in Miami’s front office.