Udonis Haslem recently lost his guardian angel. Barbara Wooten may not have been Haslem’s biological mother, but he always treated her like one. The Miami Heat legend was raised by Wooten as his parents were suffering from drug addictions. For the longest time, Wooten served as Haslem’s biggest cheerleader.

She recently passed away at the age of 78 and the NBA world has been offering their support to Haslem during this difficult time. Recently, when the Heat legend joined Shaquille O’Neal on his podcast, Shaq extended his condolences to the 43-year-old over the loss of his guardian angel.

Shaquille O’Neal was Barbara Wooten’s favorite

Haslem and Shaq were teammates when the Big Man took his talents to Miami. It’s obvious that Shaq would leave a lasting impact and their friendship today is a testament to that. When Haslem recently joined Shaq on an episode of The Big Podcast, the 4x NBA champion took the opportunity to extend his condolences to the 43-year-old. Shaq said, “Brother I know you gotta catch a flight. My condolences go out to you for your mom, brother”. Haslem was quick to remind Shaq that he was one of Wooten’s favorites. He said, “She loved you”, he also said that both his biological parents were also very fond of Shaq.

The last few weeks have been tough for Haslem after losing his biggest source of strength and inspiration. However, he is adamant about keeping Wooten’s legacy alive through her teachings and the things she did regularly for the community. A few days before Christmas, the 15th annual B-Wootie Holiday Honor Roll Program was held. This used to be one of the things that Wooten was passionate about as she would take 100 kids on a shopping spree before Christmas. In her absence, Haslem continued the ritual this year on his own.

Shaq and his ex-teammate also talked about the upcoming jersey retirement ceremony for Haslem. The Miami franchise has announced that Haslem’s jersey will soon be in the rafters. Going by the impact he has had on the ‘Heat Culture’ as it is known today, it’s a well-deserved honor.

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Shaq asked the Heat veteran, “When is that jersey retirement ’cause I wanna make sure I’m there”. Haslem said that it will be held on January 19th. And since Shaq has made a commitment to be there, we will get to see the Big Man stand beside his brother when he receives one of the highest honors in the league.

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