Udonis Haslem ready to pass Heat leadership torch to Bam Adebayo: ‘It’s his time’

As veteran forward Udonis Haslem prepares for the start of his 20th NBA season, he’s also preparing the Miami Heat and himself for the end.

When the Heat opens the regular season on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls at FTX Arena, it will mark the start of Haslem’s final NBA season before he embarks on the next phase of his life, which he hopes includes a spot in the Heat’s ownership group.

“Most people just told me to make sure that the people around you enjoy it because those are the people that sacrificed so much over those 20 years,” Haslem said of the advice he has received on how to handle the final season of his playing career. “I think people look at me, and yes it’s been an amazing ride for me. But there have been so many people that have sacrificed over those 20 years for me to be here.

“My wife taking care of my kids. My parents, even though they’re not here, the things they were able to do and instill in me just to get me to this point. My stepmother. There are just so many people. So honoring those people, letting them have their roses for this last season. I think that’s the biggest focus for me.”

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Basketball is Haslem’s other major focus. At 42 years old, he’s not expected to play in many games this season but he does hold an important leadership role in the locker room as he enters his 16th consecutive season as a Heat captain.

“My mind is where it needs to be. It’s on basketball,” said Haslem, who has appeared in just 28 games since the start of the 2018-19 season and has not played in a playoff game since 2016. “It’s on getting better. It’s on banking equity and getting us where we need to go.”

Haslem’s mind is also on making sure that Heat center Bam Adebayo is ready to take over as the Heat’s next leader.

For years, Haslem has been searching for the Heat player who could fill the leadership void he’ll leave behind when he retires. The Miami native has determined that will be Adebayo.

“He can have it now. It’s time for him,” Haslem said. “It’s time for him. We’ve had these conversations about physically, vocally, emotionally. I think it’s time for him.”

Haslem is 17 years older than the 25-year-old Adebayo, but they have developed a close friendship since the Heat selected Adebayo with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 draft. Haslem has tested Adebayo over the years to make sure he could be next in a distinguished line of Heat leaders and has groomed him for the job in recent seasons behind the scenes.

“I’ve had so many emotional conversations with him,” Adebayo said. “Because it’s like, when I first got here I wasn’t the guy to be like: ‘You got to do this. I need you here.’ I was kind of get in where you fit in. As my years went on, he’s made me get out of my comfort zone. He has made me be more vocal.”

One way Haslem has done that: During games when the momentum isn’t on the Heat’s side, Haslem will remain silent in timeout huddles and stare at Adebayo in an effort to have him speak up in those moments.

“It’s getting to a point where your teammates need to hear your voice,” Adebayo said. “I feel like having those kind of conversations over and over and over to this point has made it where my teammates when they hear me, they listen. But I’ve had so many emotional conversations with that man about this.

“This is his last season, so he’s got to pass it to somebody. I feel like it’s a blessing for him to trust me to lead this team and organization, and keep being the holder of the culture.”

Adebayo has pushed for Haslem to continue his playing career over the last few years. But Adebayo won’t do that this time because he has already accepted that this is it for Haslem.

Haslem will become only the third player — as long as he appears in at least one game this season — to spend an entire NBA career lasting at least 20 seasons with one team. That exclusive list includes Dirk Nowitzki (21 seasons with Dallas Mavericks) and Kobe Bryant (20 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers), and Haslem will be the only one to do it in his hometown.

“UD is not just my teammate and everybody knows that. That’s like my older brother,” said Adebayo, who is entering the second season of a five-year, $163 million max contract extension he signed with the Heat in 2020. “It’s like being in the house with your older brother and he’s got to go to college and you won’t see him for four years. He’ll come around every so often. But just having that man in my corner, I’ve used him as a crutch. It’s my time to not use him as a crutch anymore.”

What would Haslem consider to be a perfect final NBA season? An ending that includes his fourth championship is the easy answer, but it’s more than that.

“Healthy and no regrets,” Haslem said. “Obviously, a championship is ideal. But healthy with no regrets. That’s not just me healthy, but everybody healthy and no regrets as a team. No looking back, saying should of, could of, would of. We gave it our all. Whether we get to the mountain top or not, I don’t know if we will. But just no regrets.”

Haslem has labeled this season as his “last ride.” And Haslem is happy the NBA has installed new regulations regarding bench decorum just in time for his “last ride” because it will force him to take a more measured approach during games.

“It’s probably the best time for them to change the rule, so I can take a step back,” Haslem said. “Bam can be on the court and do what he needs to do as a leader, and I can kind of fade away. It’s his time.”