Udonis Haslem gives back to Miami
With the National Basketball Association suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Miami Heat star Udonis Haslem has decided to make the most of his time and give back to the community in which he grew up. The hometown kid wanted to show his support to frontline and essential workers and he did just that on Wednesday. Haslem delivered food to two Miami-area hospitals and a fire station.
While Haslem is expressing his appreciation for all their hard work during these difficult times, he also has a close connection to the hospitals as they helped save his life in 2010. The 39-year-old suffered from blood clots and it was the first responders in Miami that are the reason he is still alive.
“Everybody knows that I had a run in with blood clots years ago, could have lost my life,” Haslem said, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, during a visit to Memorial Hospital West. “Blood clot was on the way to my heart, and once it gets to your heart, if anybody knows about the medical side of things, that’s it. So I was close to losing my life, came here, they got me back. And they pretty much saved my life.
“Without you guys, a lot of people say they wouldn’t be here. But without you guys, I literally wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do what I’m doing right now.”
It was the pizzeria that Haslem owns with retired Heat legend and former teammate Dwyane Wade that provided the food for the deliveries.
Born and raised in Miami, the veteran has spent his entire 17-year career with the Heat winning three championships during that time. He is also just one of five NBA players in history to spend 17 years or more with one franchise. He has played in 857 games for the club but has only managed to muster three appearances this season. It will likely be his last, considering he signed a one-year deal back in August, 2019.
“I’m here showing appreciation for these people that are doing so much work behind the scenes,” Haslem continued. “I’m sitting at home. I’m keeping up with the current events. I’m watching the news. I just have to give credit to the medical staff and the people that’s just doing so much work behind the scenes, tirelessly. And they’re making it look easy. They’re the true heroes. We’re just basketball players.
“Not only the food was made with love, but the way we feel about these people, we appreciate them.”
Prior to play being halted, Miami were sitting 4th in the Eastern Conference after playing 65 of 82 regular season games. The franchise has made the playoffs just once in the last three years and they were looking forward to returning the postseason this year.
It remains to be seen whether the 2019-2020 campaign will be able to be concluded, but the league maintains it is doing everything possible to ensure it can be. It would be a real shame for Haslem to go out without getting the proper send off he deserves from the Miami faithful.
