Miami Heat veteran Udonis Haslem signed a one-year, $2.9 million contract Sunday to stay with the team for his 20th season.
He has established himself as a leader in Miami but it has not been enough to convince everyone that he deserves a roster spot. Social media had strong reactions to Haslem’s return.
“What Haslem is doing is selfish,” one fan wrote. “He literally brings nothing but veteran leadership to the team. He can’t play minutes when it matters. There is a young guy trying to get in the league, but can’t because he keeps dragging his career along.”
“This dude has played less than 60 regular season games in the last 6 seasons,” another fan wrote. “No disrespect for the man, but being on the bench for whatever reason and not playing doesn’t sound like real activity at all.”
Haslem only played 18 games the past three seasons, and had the lowest minutes per game for Miami last year. His time on the court has decreased in the past six years. The last time he played more than 20 games was 2015-16, which left many questioning his role.
Haslem says the critics are wrong.
“This is not a charity case,” Haslem said. “This is a sacrifice. I’m sacrificing for the next generation.
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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
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