Ranking the 15 most underrated players in Miami Heat history
1. Udonis Haslem (2003-23)
It may not be popular to call Udonis Haslem the most underrated player to ever play for the Miami Heat but I believe there are very fair reasons why he should be. For one, he doesn’t nearly get the amount of recognition that he deserves because he played alongside the greatest player in Heat history, Dwyane Wade, for nearly all his career. But you can make the argument that he played an extremely valuable role (either on or off the court) in every championship the Heat has ever won.
During the 2006 NBA Finals, Haslem was arguably the third-best player for the Heat, and that’s often forgotten or glossed over. In the Finals-clinching Game 6 against the Mavs on the road, Haslem finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds while playing excellent defense on Dirk Nowitzki.
Beyond that, Haslem continued to play a valuable role after the 2006 title run and during the Heat’s Big 3 era. Haslem was also the perfect example of taking a team-first approach off the court by taking less money to remain with the Heat in pursuit of bigger goals.
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Haslem went from being an undrafted player to a Heat legend. He will undoubtedly have his jersey retired one day by the team and likely is going to be involved in the organization in a front-office role for as long as he wants. Haslem played 20 seasons in the NBA, all with the Heat.