Udonis Haslem
Udonis Haslem
Udonis Johneal Haslemis an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the University of Florida, where he was a key member of four Florida Gators NCAA tournament teams. He played professional basketball in France for a year, and then signed with the Miami Heat in 2003. He has won three NBA championships while playing for the Heat...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth9 June 1980
CityMiami, FL
CountryUnited States of America
It is one of those situations where I have to step up and stick on the shooter and let the guard take his chances down there. I am thinking a step ahead. I am thinking if somebody rotates, then I have to rotate.
I agree with him 100 percent. Watching film everybody is making minor mistakes and I just think being half a step earlier, or being one step over the left or one step over to the right could change the whole outlook of the play as far as the other team getting an easy bucket or a wide open look.
He's the most dominant player in the game. If you don't have him it definitely hurts you. At the same time, the other guys have the opportunity to step up.
I'm usually taking my charges on somebody driving to the basket out of control and their momentum is coming toward me. Whereas the Big Guy is just taking one step back and guys are falling. He doesn't really even have enough momentum to charge those guys.
J-Will is always running. We just have to run with him. Sometimes we just can't keep up. ... If we can run with him, he's going to find you.
I would never approach an official in a physical manner or throw anything at them. I could see how it looked that way.
A lot of people look at playing overseas as a step down from the NBA. And, yes it is a step down from the NBA money-wise, but there is just as good of talent overseas as in the NBA. Not better talent.
Anytime you have a Pat Riley running things, calling the shots, you are not going to question things because he has been through it. He knows what it is all about and what it takes to win. All we have to do on our end is play basketball because we know the right calls and the right decisions are going to be made up top.
The Heat gave me an opportunity when nobody else wanted to.
My work ethic I learned at Miami High, and I have taken that with me.
I've learned a lot from the experiences that I went through in high school, through college and overseas, and just everything in life. That is what prepared me for coming into the NBA, being undersized, no recognition, not getting anything easy, and I have been fortunate to prosper in this league.
We're two different players and we can bring two different things to the table. If we put that together, we should have a pretty good tandem.
We can beat anybody. We just haven't been doing it.
We didn't deserve to win that game. If we would have won that game, it would have defied the laws of basketball.