Udonis Haslem, 42, plans to retire after the 2022/23 season.
HOMESTEAD, Florida (`) – Udonis Haslem thought he could walk around the Homestead-Miami Speedway unnoticed.
Not quite.
Oddly enough, a 6-foot-8 man — one of South Florida’s most well-known athletes after 20 years and three championships with the Miami Heat — was easily spotted in the crowd Sunday as he served as an honorary race director for NASCAR’s annual Stop Homestead.
“You can feel the energy from every direction,” said Heat captain Haslem. “You can feel it. The engines are spinning over here, you can feel the trucks over here, you can feel the fans coming over here… I just recorded everything.”
Sunday saw Haslem experience NASCAR in person for the first time, but he’s no stranger to the sport. Haslem’s grandparents are from Georgia, he said, “and NASCAR is something that my grandparents have followed my entire life.”
“I would sit and watch it as a kid,” Haslem said. “It’s overwhelming. It is wonderful. It’s just another whole community. I had no idea I was here. Seeing it on TV doesn’t even compare to being here in person. It’s an amazing experience.”
Haslem’s original plans for Sunday included meeting Bubba Wallace, the only black full-time driver on the NASCAR circuit. Wallace’s one-race ban – imposed after an investigation revealed he deliberately flipped reigning Cup champ Kyle Larson in a “dangerous act” of retaliation in Las Vegas last weekend before confronting him afterwards – was thwarted these plans.
“I’m a little disappointed, but obviously I understand alphas in alpha sport,” Haslem said. “I’m alpha. So I understand how it works and our competitive nature.”
Haslem suggested doing a few laps with the car around the track. He wouldn’t reveal how fast he’s ever driven – “I’m not going to tell,” he said – but revealed he has an electric Audi “that moves pretty well”.
Haslem plans to retire after this NBA season and has spoken about becoming an owner; He has made no secret that his goal is to eventually get involved with the Heat organization at a senior level in the front office.
But he’s an active investor in a number of other companies. And he wouldn’t be the first player to turn to NASCAR after an NBA career — Michael Jordan owns the 23XI team Wallace drives for, and Brad Daugherty has been involved with racing for years through ownership and as a television analyst.
“I’m a very ambitious person,” said Haslem, who wore a hat with the 23XI logo on the side. “And if it’s something I’m interested in and want to be a part of, then we’ll talk about it and take that step. That’s something I’m definitely interested in. I like to compete, I like fast – and I know it’s kind of a parody, but the movie ‘Talladega Nights’ is one of my all-time favorite movies.”
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