“She Will Live Through This”: Udonis Haslem Immortalizes Stepmother Barbara After Heartbreaking Loss

Published 12/25/2023, 3:04 PM EST

Udonis Haslem recently lost his guardian angel to cancer. The Miami Heat veteran credits his stepmother, Barbara Wooten, for a lot of his success. After his parents fell prey to addiction, it was Wooten who took upon the responsibility to support Haslem with his dreams of becoming a ballplayer.

Earlier this month, at the age of 78, Wooten passed away. However, the Heat legend is adamant about keeping her legacy alive through his various charity work. Haslem recently talked about the annual B-Wootie Holiday Honor Roll Program and why he decided to change the program’s name.

Udonis Haslem is working to keep Barbara’s name alive

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Barbara stood by him as his unwavering companion through several years, supporting him with unwavering zeal at every game. Recently while talking to the Miami Herald, Haslem said, “It was her idea[the foundation]. This is something that Barbara started. It was her baby. So to continue that is obviously continuing her legacy. She’s going to live through this foundation. So I’m even more motivated to continue to build this foundation, grow it, and impact as many as possible in her memory”.

The $200 shopping spree at Walmart is followed by lunch and games at FunDimension, and for that, Haslem’s foundation invites 100 honor roll students from Miami-Dade and Broward County schools. The foundation finalized the students from these schools “who have excelled academically despite various sociodemographic factors.” The 15th annual B-Wootie Holiday Honor Roll Program was held two days ago, and the Heat legend shared snippets from his day out with the kids while also helping them pick out presents for themselves in toys or anything else of their choice.

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Since he had to grow up under difficult circumstances, Haslem is motivated to provide kids with enough opportunities where they get to enjoy life. The 43-year-old said that he does this work with a special purpose. He said, “I always want kids to know that there are people out there who care.”

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He said that often, kids are put in situations where they feel like nobody cares for them, and they go on to grow up with that mentality. However, with his work through this foundation, he is trying to show that there are good people in the world who care about them. As for his own journey in life, he is freshly into retirement and it was recently announced that the Miami franchise will retire his jersey. Seems like a fitting tribute for a true franchise legend.

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My introduction to basketball was through Kobe Bryant. Soon enough, I was hooked to his game and although I started with being a fan of his, I also became a fan of basketball. To this day, Kobe remains my reference and guide as I try to navigate through life.

Edited by:

Arnima Shukla

“She Will Live Through This”: Udonis Haslem Immortalizes Stepmother Barbara After Heartbreaking Loss

Udonis Haslem is working to keep Barbara’s name alive

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