Udonis Haslem

Infobox NBA Player
name = Udonis Haslem
nickname =

---

image_size =
nationality = American
league = NBA
team = Miami Heat
height_ft = 6
height_in = 8
weight_lbs=235
number = 40
position = Power forward
birth_date = birth date and age|1980|6|9
birth_place = Miami, Florida
highschool = Miami
college = Florida
draft = Undrafted
draft_year = 2002
career_start = 2002
career_end =
former_teams = ÉS Chalon-sur-Saône (2002–2003)
awards =

Udonis Johneal Haslem (born June 9, 1980 in Miami, Florida) is an American professional basketball player currently with the Miami Heat of the NBA. He is listed as a 6 ft 8 in and 235 lb power forward.

High school and college career

Udonis Haslem attended Wolfson Senior High School in Jacksonville, Florida, then Miami Senior High School in Miami, Florida [ [http://www.hoopshype.com/players/udonis_haslem.htm|"NBA Players - Udonis Haslem"] "Hoops Hype". Accessed October 5 2007.] .

Haslem then attended the University of Florida, majoring in leisure service management. A starting center for four years, he was part of the Billy Donovan recruiting class that put Florida Gators basketball on the map, coming in with another NBA player, Mike Miller. Fans would yell the letter "U" in unison after his big plays. His sophomore season saw the team advance in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship game. The team made the NCAA tournament all four years he was with the team, the first time in the institution's history.

NBA career

After leaving Florida in 2002, with his weight in excess of 300 pounds and having been a late-preseason roster cut with the Atlanta Hawks, Haslem signed with Chalon-Sur-Saone, a professional team in France. While averaging 16.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, Haslem also managed to lose 70 pounds over the course of that year, which resulted in him getting a spot in the NBA summer leagues.

He was signed by the Miami Heat as an undrafted rookie in 2003. As a rookie, he backed up Brian Grant and provided rebounding and defense. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, and played in the rookie challenge during All-Star weekend. He assumed the starting power forward position in 2004 after teammate Lamar Odom was traded as part of a package that was shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that brought superstar center Shaquille O'Neal back to Florida. He was helpful yet again, being a tough rebounder and developing an effective 15 foot jump-shot. He has been called a perfect complement to O'Neal's style of play, and was critical in the Heat's playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. Following the season his two-year contract was renewed after upping his rookie averages of 7.3 points and 6.3 rebounds to 10.9 and 9.1 in his second season. In 2005-2006, he again was the starting power forward. Despite increased pressure from O'Neal battling injuries and the acquisition of 3-time All-Star Antoine Walker, Haslem retained the starting spot.

Haslem won an NBA championship with the Heat in 2006, scoring 17 points in the title-clinching game 6 against the Dallas Mavericks.

On Friday, November 10, 2006, Haslem scored a career-high 28 points on 10-for-14 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds in a 113-106 win over the Nets.

With the absence of Shaquille O'Neal (trade) and Alonzo Mourning (injury), Haslem played the center position during the 2007-08 season.

Mouthpiece controversy

On April 22, 2006, in a first-round playoff game against the Chicago Bulls, Haslem was ejected for throwing his mouthpiece at referee Joe Crawford. Haslem had been upset that a foul was not called on a play on the Bulls' end of the court. After the game, he claimed that he had not deliberately aimed at Crawford, and that the mouthpiece's trajectory was an accident. He apologized to fans and to his teammates, and stated that he would also apologize to Crawford when the opportunity arose. The NBA reviewing the incident, and they suspended Haslem for game 2 of the series against the Bulls on April 24, 2006. [" [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/14408128.htm "What will happen to Udonis Haslem?] ", Linda Robertson, the San Jose Mercury News, published April 23, 2006, accessed April 23, 2006.]

NBA career statistics

Regular season

-
align="left" | 2003–04
align="left" | Miami
75 || 24 || 23.9 || .459 || .000 || .765 || 6.3 || .7 || .4 || .3 || 7.3
-
align="left" | 2004–05
align="left" | Miami
80 || 80 || 33.4 || .540 || .000 || .791 || 9.1 || 1.4 || .8 || .5 || 10.9
-
align="left" | 2005–06
align="left" | Miami
81 || 80 || 30.8 || .508 || .000 || .789 || 7.8 || 1.2 || .6 || .2 || 9.3
-
align="left" | 2006–07
align="left" | Miami
79 || 79 || 31.4 || .492 || .000 || .680 || 8.3 || 1.2 || .6 || .3 || 10.7
-
align="left" | 2007–08
align="left" | Miami
49 || 48 || 36.8 || .467 || .000 || .810 || 9.0 || 1.4 || .8 || .4 || 12.0
-
align="left" | Career
align="left" |
364 || 311 || 30.9 || .496 || .000 || .765 || 8.0 || 1.2 || .6 || .3 || 9.9
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Playoffs

-
align="left" | 2003–04
align="left" | Miami
13 || 0 || 15.3 || .394 || .000 || .677 || 3.4 || .2 || .4 || .2 || 3.6
-
align="left" | 2004–05
align="left" | Miami
15 || 15 || 36.2 || .491 || .000 || .739 || 10.0 || 1.0 || .5 || .4 || 9.2
-
align="left" | 2005–06
align="left" | Miami
22 || 22 || 29.5 || .493 || .000 || .683 || 7.4 || .8 || .6 || .3 || 8.6
-
align="left" | 2006–07
align="left" | Miami
4 || 4 || 25.8 || .480 || .000 || .750 || 5.3 || 1.0 || .2 || .5 || 7.5
-
align="left" | Career
align="left" |
54 || 41 || 27.7 || .481 || .000 || .703 || 7.0 || .7 || .5 || .3 || 7.5
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

References

External links

* [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/udonis_haslem/ NBA.com Profile - Udonis Haslem]
* [http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=HASLEUD01 Basketball-Reference.com: Udonis Haslem]