Pat Riley reflects on Udonis Haslem’s Heat legacy and the ‘prominent role’ Haslem still has

Udonis Haslem’s playing career is over and his No. 40 jersey will be retired by the Miami Heat during Friday night’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks at Kaseya Center, but he’s still an important member of the organization.

The Heat made it a point to keep Haslem around the the team, hiring him as the vice president of basketball development just months after he retired at the end of last season.

“I think it’s crucial,” Heat president Pat Riley said this week when asked about the importance of keeping Haslem within the organization even after his playing career came to an end. “And I think once he gets his executive legs underneath him, there are a lot of things going on right now in UD’s life, some personal things that happened with the loss of his step-mother. So I think he’s going to be a real positive addition.”

Haslem’s responsibilities include being a source to the coaching staff, mentoring both Heat and Sioux Falls Skyforce (the Heat’s G League affiliate) players, as well as representing the organization in the community and in business endeavors.

“I think UD in the next year or two or three, he’ll evolve into even a bigger role if he wants it,” Riley said. “So I’ve always been on his butt about coaching. He doesn’t want to coach. But I’ve always been asking him to coach one day. Not to take Spo’s [Erik Spoelstra’s] job, obviously, but to get involved in it because he is so great with players and they have so much respect for him that it’s hard to find those kinds of ex-players who can do that. So he will play a prominent role for us and he has a strong voice, and I respect his voice.”

Haslem, 43, initially hoped to become part of the Heat’s ownership group upon retiring, but that didn’t materialize. He still hopes to join the team’s ownership group one day.

“I’m still working on it,” Haslem said. “It’s not an easy task, but that’s still the goal. That’s the ultimate goal. That’s the main goal. An executive position is amazing. I love it and I’m loving what I’m doing. But make no mistake about it, the major goal is to be a part of ownership and that’s the end-all be-all for me.”

If Haslem’s unique and improbable NBA career is any indication, he shouldn’t be doubted in his pursuit of an ownership stake in the Heat.

Haslem, a Miami native, went undrafted in 2002 before spending his entire 20-year NBA career with his hometown Heat. He played a role on each of the franchise’s three championship teams in 2006, 2012 and 2013, while becoming the only undrafted player in NBA history to lead a franchise in total rebounds.

Haslem, who spent the final 16 seasons of his playing career as a Heat captain, is only the third player to spend an entire NBA career lasting at least 20 seasons with one team. The others on that short list are Dirk Nowitzki (21 seasons with Dallas Mavericks) and Kobe Bryant (20 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers), and Haslem is the only one to do it in his hometown.

“UD is an iron man and he’s a glue guy,” said Riley, who spent three seasons as Haslem’s head coach with the Heat from 2005-08. “I think that should be recognized by the league. There are a lot of guys like that in the league. So yes, I do think that should be recognized by the Hall of Fame committee. Integrity, dignity, class, toughness, honesty, brings it everyday and I think that should be recognized some day.”

According to Basketball Reference’s Hall of Fame probability, Haslem has just a 0.5 percent of being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

But Haslem will essentially be inducted into the Heat’s Hall of Fame on Friday when his jersey is retired. He’ll become just the sixth player to have his Heat jersey hanging from the Kaseya Center rafters, joining Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

“All of the things that embody greatness in an individual as an athlete that go across the board, UD possesses,” Riley said. “So the fact that we’re at that moment that we’re going to hang the No. 40 jersey from the rafters, it’s a great day. It’s a great day for him and his family.”

INJURY REPORT

The Heat ruled out Jaime Jaquez Jr. (strained left groin), Jamal Cain (G League), RJ Hampton (G League) and Dru Smith (season-ending knee surgery) for Friday’s game against the Hawks.

The Hawks will be without star guard Trae Young for Friday’s game in Miami because of an illness.

The Hawks also ruled out Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture), De’Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation), Vit Krejci (left shoulder subluxation) and Wesley Matthews (right calf strain).