The rafters at the Kaseya Center had a special addition tonight as Udonis Haslem got his jersey retired at the halftime of the Atlanta Hawks-Miami Heat matchup. Haslem has been the talk of the town for quite some time and the stage was set for one of the most awaited nights of his career. The 43-year-old has often spoken about what this honor means to him. But this time, he also shared who he would want to dedicate this to. There is always someone special behind a legend’s success.

UD was questioned, “What do you want this moment to feel like? What do you want here at halftime?” Well, he had the answer ready. Haslem shared, “I want this for my family man, I want this for my people, everybody that has sacrificed for me to be here. Some are here, some are from heaven watching down…You don’t only get to see the finish line…but just imagine going home for 20 seasons, having to deal with a grumpy NBA player…My wife deserves it, my kids deserve it, everybody deserves this night man.“

There were a lot of special people from heaven who watched Haslem tonight. The Heat legend lost both his parents when he was 3-years-old and the only one by his side was his stepmom, Barbara Wooten. The special ceremony would have meant the most to her.

Barbara, whom Haslem considered his “guardian angel”, sadly passed away just a few weeks ago. He even has her name ‘Barbara’ tattooed near his left collarbone, stating, “It takes a special woman to raise a kid that’s not her natural-born son.” The interviewer assured Haslem that she would be watching from heaven.

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Udonis Haslem is nothing without his “guardian angel”

Haslem shared that Barbara Wooten was basically all he had left. He termed his stepmom as Ms. Consistent. Wooten entered the corporate world when Haslem was a young kid. She worked with ‘American Express’ and Haslem always looked up to her. On the side, a young Haslem developed an interest in basketball and the rest is history.

To honor Wooten’s contribution, the Heat displayed seats with her name etched in gold that Haslem would take home. With a UD jersey and a bouquet on the seat, Heat honored Barbara on this special night, which made him tear up. It was a beautiful night and as expected; the Heat made sure Haslem’s family was recognized.

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