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's very important to execute down the stretch and get the stops, but by the same token, we want to put the games away a little earlier.
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.
I threw my mouthpiece at the ground. Looking at it on TV, I could see how Joey would think I was throwing it at him.
It is a game I'll never forget as long as I play the game of basketball. Obviously it's always in the back of our mind, how close we were last year.
We didn't deserve to win that game. If we would have won that game, it would have defied the laws of basketball.
They have a new coach. We have a new team.
They pretty much had us dead in the water.
I think we understand what we're going up against when we go on the road. When we go on the road, it takes two times the concentration, two times more effort to win.
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.
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.