Category: Gators in NBA

Florida hoops legend Udonis Haslem headed back to NBA Finals

Udonis Haslem is retiring at the end of the season, but the Florida legend is looking to close things out on a high note as the Miami Heat face the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals.

It’s been more than two decades since Udonis Haslem donned the Orange and Blue, but they say “Once a Gator, always a Gator,” right?

Well, the former Gator is making all of Gainesville (and the state of Florida) proud by reaching the NBA Finals for a seventh time with the Miami Heat – the team he’s spent his entire 20-year career with.

Sure, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Jimmy Butler have all been the faces of the various Heat teams, but Haslem is the constant – the glue, if you will – that every late millennial and Gen Z Miami fan has come to adore. He is the longest-tenured player in franchise history after all.

So, what should Heat and Gators fans expect from Haslem in what will be his final series as a member of the NBA? Not a lot. Haslem is a player mentor of sorts now that has played just two minutes throughout the team’s 18 playoff games.

He got his retirement game back in April when he dropped 24 points, which is as a good of a swan song as any.

The book is closing on UD’s career, and boy would it be nice to see him ride off into the sunset with a fourth championship to his name. While he might not be the most talented Gator to ever make it to the pros, Haslem’s legacy will likely never be forgotten in the state of Florida.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1368]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Gator great Udonis Haslem scores 24 points in final NBA regular-season game

Tip of the cap to Udonis Haslem for going out in style.

All good things must come to an end the adage says and for former Florida center Udonis Haslem, his 20-year run in the National Basketball Association finally came to a close on Sunday against the Orlando Magic. He put up 24 points in 25 minutes for the Miami Heat in the final game of the regular season.

While the 6-foot-8-inch frontcourt bruiser never earned any significant personal accolades, he was a part of three championship-winning teams during his two-decade tenure with the only NBA team that he ever played for. Haslem’s court time diminished precipitously in the final seven years of his career but he still found ways to contribute both on and off the court.

“I’m going to miss his spirit,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said according to ESPN. “I’m going to miss his voice. I’m going to miss his intentions. He has incredible, pure, team intentions. Every single day. He doesn’t have a bad day. He may express himself with anger other times at his teammates or even with me, but his intentions are pure.

“He doesn’t have bad days, there’s not a moodiness, he doesn’t come in with any kind of baggage. It’s pure. It’s always about winning. How can he help somebody else? How can he help the team? How can he help mentor? That’s what keeps his mind going constantly.”

Haslem went undrafted in the 2002 NBA draft and opted to play in France with Chalon-Sur-Saône of the French LNB Pro A to kick off his professional career. He arrived across the pond weighing nearly 300 pounds but managed to shed 50 of those pounds over the course of eight months, opening the door for a return to the States.

The Heat signed him as a free agent ahead of the 2003 season and Haslem participated in numerous rookie events, ultimately earning NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The Gators alumnus played in 879 career NBA games — starting 501 of them — averaging 7.5 points on 48.9% shooting from the floor and 6.6 rebounds per game for the Heat.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1365]

[mm-video type=video id=01gxnyzjf1m18wp36yg3 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gxnyzjf1m18wp36yg3/01gxnyzjf1m18wp36yg3-2183762eef614960c66e71e25c412cf3.jpg]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Former Gator Tre Mann notches first career triple-double at any level

Tre Mann recorded his first career triple-double ever at any level of competition on Sunday for the Thunder.

It has been a couple of years since former Florida guard Tre Mann departed Gainesville for the National Basketball Association, where he currently serves as a backup on the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Sunday night against the Memphis Grizzlies with both teams primarily playing their reserves in the regular-season finale, the erstwhile Gator notched his first-ever triple-double at any level of competition.

Mann finished with 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field, along with 12 assists and 12 rebounds in 47 minutes of court time. As a reward for his efforts, his teammates drenched him in cold water and Gatorade — a fitting finish for the former Florida standout.

“I seen it coming but I didn’t know they were going to keep coming,” Mann joked, vowing revenge. “I’ll get them back though.”

The feat caps off a rough campaign for Mann, who appeared in 67 games with five starts while averaging 17.7 minutes per game. For the 2022-23 season, he averaged 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.7 steals per game in his year in OKC.

“It was a tough year for me obviously, but I just focus day-to-day trying to get better,” Mann said, “I am a better player than I was last year, just didn’t get to show it this year.”

The Thunder are mired with the 10th seed in the upcoming NBA playoffs while the Grizzlies are way up at the second seed. The ninth-seeded Pelicans lost, which means they will host the Thunder in their play-in tournament game on Wednesday, April 12, on ESPN.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1365]

[mm-video type=video id=01gxnyzjf1m18wp36yg3 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gxnyzjf1m18wp36yg3/01gxnyzjf1m18wp36yg3-2183762eef614960c66e71e25c412cf3.jpg]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Former Gator included in Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving trade

Dorian Finney-Smith is heading to Brooklyn!

The hottest news on the NBA trade hot stove is the Brooklyn Nets‘ exchange with the Dallas Mavericks sending star guard Kyrie Irving to Texas while taking back multiple pieces on Sunday. The former Duke standout has been surrounded by controversy for quite some time, most recently involving his endorsement of a film that promoted a far-fringe anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that irked the denizens of New York’s popular borough.

The Nets traded Irving to the Mavs for former Gators forward [autotag]Dorian Finney-Smith[/autotag] along with Spencer Dinwiddie, a first-round pick and multiple second-round picks, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The former Florida forward averaged 9.1 points along with 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, one steal and 0.9 blocks per game so far during the 2022-23 campaign. Over his seven-year career — all with the Mavericks — the 6-foot-7-inch, 220-pound frontcourt player averaged 8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.4 blocks per game.

[mm-video type=video id=01gr4hrygc65p6mfkf2t playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gr4hrygc65p6mfkf2t/01gr4hrygc65p6mfkf2t-511416ce5679a67a943b3a74446322df.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=100916,100914,100912]

[listicle id=100876]

[vertical-gallery id=100874]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Former Gator Bradley Beal a free agency winner per CBS Sports

Bradley Beal just got paid, son.

There are not a whole lot of former Florida basketball players in the NBA currently but lately a few familiar names have made the news, including one-and-done guard [autotag]Bradley Beal[/autotag], who recently signed a massive contract extension with the Washington Wizards.

The third overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft — second-highest only to the legendary Neal Walk and tied with current Boston Celtic Al Horford —spent his first 10 years in the nation’s capital and cemented his standing there with a five-year, $251 million contract that will likely lock him in for the remainder of his career.

Or will it? CBS Sports’ staff writer Brad Botkin put together a look at the NBA’s free agency action after the opening day, including Beal’s monster extension. Botkin is not quite so sure the contract will tether the prolific scorer to the shores of the Potomac, as he explains in his excerpt on the former Gator below.

I still bet he gets traded before that contract expires, but by signing with Washington, which owns his Bird rights, he guaranteed himself a fifth guaranteed year, which will equate to about $57 million extra in his bank. That goes with him even if he does get traded. I’d bet good money that Beal winds up having his cake and eating it too, eventually ending up on a contender while also signing the biggest deal possible.

Beal is just a single season separated from a two-year stretch in which he averaged over 30 points a game in the NBA (30.5 ppg in 2019-20 and 31.3 ppg in 2020-21) — the first former Gators to achieve that feat. Unfortunately, he was outgunned by future Hall of Famers James Harden (34.3) in the former and Stephen Curry (32.0) in the latter season for the scoring title.

[mm-video type=video id=01g5b72qw7zqp1fyfsw1 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g5b72qw7zqp1fyfsw1/01g5b72qw7zqp1fyfsw1-08004c870c55a2646bf6e51f15c21fb8.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=86588,86326,86101,85794,85644]

[listicle id=47602]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Former Gator Bradley Beal could enter free agency for first time

Bradley Beal is rightfully looking to get paid.

Bradley Beal may have only played one season wearing the Orange and Blue but he will forever be a Gator, and he currently represents the best former Florida player active in the NBA. Drafted with the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft — second-highest only to the legendary Neal Walk and tied with current Boston Celtic [autotag]Al Horford[/autotag] — the prolific scoring guard spent the first decade of his professional career in D.C.

But that tenure in the nation’s capital might be coming to an end.

In an interview with Josh Robbins of The Athletic, Beal revealed he has made a decision on his future, but because his current contract has not yet expired he declined to provide any insight. All indicators point toward a dive into free agency for the first time in his 10-year career, but he expects plenty of turbulence ahead.

“My situation? Crazy probably,” he told the Associated Press.

According to Spotrac, Beal is set to make a guaranteed $36,422,136 in the final year of his contract extension with the Wizards if he exercises his player option. However, he appears to be hungering for more despite a career often marred by injuries while coming off a down year in which he averaged a team-high 23.2 points on 45.1% shooting but a career-low 30.0% from three over 40 games last season.

If he were to return to the Wizards — who own his Bird rights — Beal is eligible for a five-year maximum deal amounting to nearly $248 million, versus a four-year, $184 million cap on contracts with the rest of the NBA franchises.

The former Gator was recently cleared to resume basketball activities after his campaign was shortened by season-ending wrist surgery back in February, which has complicated his future options thus far. The shooting guard is just a year separated from a two-season stretch in which he became the first UF alumnus to average over 30 points a game in the NBA: 30.5 ppg in 2019-20 and 31.3 ppg in 2020-21. He was edged by future Hall of Famer Stephen Curry in the latter season for the scoring title.

[mm-video type=video id=01g5q9pz6f37bfr8jv38 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g5q9pz6f37bfr8jv38/01g5q9pz6f37bfr8jv38-9fe21e274276c590880611f042326616.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=85794,85644,85044,84415,82622]

[listicle id=85400]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Al Horford lands in “trust” tier of CBS Sports’ NBA Finals player rankings

CBS Sports thinks Al Horford is a player the Celtics can trust on the court. They are not wrong.

The 2022 NBA Finals have arrived with the Boston Celtics matched up against the Golden State Warriors in a battle for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Ahead of the opening game, CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn took a look at both teams’ rosters and ranked each player from one to 30, breaking them up into five tiers along the way. That tiering system is comprised of — from lowest to highest — out of the picture, rotate, use, play and trust. Gator great [autotag]Al Horford[/autotag] earned a spot in the top 10 among the “trust” tier at No. 8, with this short blurb offered by Quinn.

Horford’s game is all subtlety. He can be the best player on the floor without scoring a single point.

Funny enough, the exact opposite played out on Thursday night when the former Florida forward dropped a team-high 26 points, including a 6-for-8 effort from behind the stripe, in his NBA Finals debut to lead the Celtics over the Warriors. Amazingly, his six three-pointers edged out LeBron James for the oldest player to have made at least five in the Finals.

With two NCAA Championships already on his mantle, another trophy would fit in quite nicely for a player still chugging away in the twilight of his career. An MVP award would look even nicer.

[mm-video type=video id=01g4jsyyjkkjddstswzn playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g4jsyyjkkjddstswzn/01g4jsyyjkkjddstswzn-780ce28ae76926c85d91fc45304f2258.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=84954]

[vertical-gallery id=18278]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Watch: Former Gator Al Horford drops 26 in Finals debut

15 years later and Al Horford looks just as good as he did winning back-to-back chips in the Orange and Blue.

On the eve of his 36th birthday, former Gator [autotag]Al Horford[/autotag] is playing some of his best basketball with the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. That’s high praise for someone who once led Florida to back-to-back national championships, but Horford’s performance in Game 1 of the Finals against Golden State deserves that kind of attention.

Horford scored a team-high 26 points, shooting 6-of-8 from beyond the arc in the comeback win for Boston. The six three-pointers are a record for a Finals debut, and his 11 points in the final quarter of the game allowed the Celtics to come back from a 15-point deficit in the second half against the Warriors. Ever the team player, Horford gave credit to his teammates for his success.

“It was the way that we were moving the ball on offense, just being in those positions,” Horford said, according to Celtics.com. “I felt like the guys kept finding me time after time.”

Celtics fans showered Horford with love after the performance and birthday wishes began to flood in on social media as the clock turned over on the East Coast. Those of us in the Sunshine State will always remember Horford best for his three years in the Orange and Blue, but he might go down in history for this game.

Heck, he even beat out LeBron as the oldest player in NBA history to sink more than five threes in a Finals game.

Getting a win in the Bay Area to start the series off is big too. If Boston goes on to win it all quickly, it will be hard to look back at Horford’s performance as the difference-maker in the series.

The Celtics are back on Sunday against the Warriors at the Chase Center before heading to the Garden for a pair.

[mm-video type=video id=01g4jsyyjkkjddstswzn playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g4jsyyjkkjddstswzn/01g4jsyyjkkjddstswzn-780ce28ae76926c85d91fc45304f2258.jpg]

[vertical-gallery id=18278]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Former Gator great Al Horford to play in the NBA finals

The Gators have a representative in this year’s NBA Finals.

The Boston Celtics have advanced to the NBA Finals, meaning that former Gators center [autotag]Al Horford[/autotag] will have a shot at a championship ring. This is a big moment for the 35-year-old; during the 15 years he’s been a professional, none of Horford’s other teams have advanced to the championship round of the NBA Playoffs.

This season, Horford played in 69 games for the Celtics, starting each one while averaging double-digit scoring and 7.7 rebounds per game. The consistency of Horford’s performance throughout his lengthy career is impressive, as is his ability to keep it up as one of the old men of the NBA.

Horford’s Celtics entered the NBA playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. They carried a record of 51-31 from the regular season, their successes hinging on a stunning defense that placed second in net rating among NBA teams. Horford himself contributed 1.3 blocks per game to that defense, tying his best block numbers since 2015-16.

During the 17 games of this year’s playoffs, the former Gator has hit a bit of a hot streak. Averaging nearly a double-double – 11.9 points and 9.6 rebounds – he’s also carrying his weight defensively. In the series-clinching Game 7 against the Miami Heat, Horford lead the team in plus-minus with plus-10 despite only scoring 5 points.

There are some who believe that the length and consistently good quality of Horford’s career give him a borderline Hall of Fame case, and he has an opportunity to bolster that case in this year’s NBA Finals. Regardless of whether it’s fair, Hall of Fame voters have shown time and time again that they love to reward championship winners for their former teams’ accomplishments. Adding a ring to his resumé may be enough to push his candidacy over the edge when it comes time for him to be considered for the honor.

[mm-video type=video id=01g40p9wm4qpp6ka6t5r playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g40p9wm4qpp6ka6t5r/01g40p9wm4qpp6ka6t5r-bf39b2c7b4b78a331ba733359f63f362.jpg]

[vertical-gallery id=18278]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Former Gator Joakim Noah retires with Bulls on one-day contract

Joakim Noah helped lead Florida to two consecutive national championships before heading to the NBA.

After 13 seasons playing in the National Basketball Association, former Gator Joakim Noah is retiring from professional basketball.

Noah signed a ceremonial contract with the Chicago Bulls on Thursday to retire with the team he spent most of his career with. Known as a player who would simply outwork everyone else on the court, Noah’s authenticity resonated with the city of Chicago just as it did in Gainesville during the Gators’ two championship runs with him. The team put together a tribute video featuring former teammates and coaches of Noah and released it on social media to announce the official retirement.

Noah came to Florida as a four-star recruit, ranked No. 73 in the nation back in 2004. After a few years of development and David Lee’s departure to the NBA, Noah found himself in a position to become a key player for Florida. It took a challenge from Billy Donovan to whip Noah into shape, according to EPSN, but he became known for his grit from that point on. Back-to-back championship boosted Noah’s draft stock enough to get him drafted ninth overall.

The rest, as they say, is history. Noah had some memorable years with Derrick Rose in Chicago before injuries derailed the team, and he was voted an All-Star in 2012 and 2013. After leaving Chicago, Noah’s career began to trend downward as he battled injuries regularly. New York and Memphis didn’t work out and his final season was spent with the Los Angeles Clippers, although he only played in five games.

[lawrence-related id=36754]

[vertical-gallery id=18669]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinion