Now that Udonis Haslem has been appointed as the vice president of basketball development for the Miami Heat and has his jersey No. 40 raised to the rafters at Kaseya Center, the next item on his bucket list is an ownership stake. As per Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, “the former Heat captain now is floating the idea of partnering with rapper, songwriter and recording executive Rick Ross.”

Up to this point, Heat owner Micky Arison has maintained ownership within the family circle. However, there’s a potential shift on the horizon, as Haslem has suggested the prospect of a partnership with Ross. Yet, the process of bringing Rick Ross into the ownership fold is still underway, with Haslem himself needing to take that initial leap. Speaking on the matter, Haslem said, “So what I would say is Rick Ross would be a tremendous addition to the ownership group. But I’ve got to get my part taken care of first. I’m still working on that. For me, that’s still the ultimate goal.”

However, the dream to invest in the Miami Heat isn’t Haslem’s alone. From watching their games from awful seats to becoming the voice of Heat player introductions last season, Rick Ross has been the most loyal supporter of the club. With a reported net worth of $45 million, he may no longer be satisfied being just a Heat fan.

In pursuit of this goal, he turned to Haslem for assistance. In their The OGs podcast, Rick said, “I need y’all to walk me in there. Come on, we gotta get us a piece of that Miami Heat. …That’s a dream for Rozay [Ross]. Just to see the city because it just wouldn’t be for me. Somebody from the city, a part of the city to come up and earn that.” However, speaking of being loyal to the Miami Heat, nobody would have done that better than Udonis Haslem himself.

Miami Heat’s special gesture for Udonis Haslem

The franchise’s all-time rebounding leader was the oldest active player at 43 when he retired after last season. Notably, he spent his entire 20-year playing career with the Heat and was a part of all three of the Heat’s title-winning teams. Consequently, the organization rewarded him for his unwavering loyalty when they retired his jersey No. 40 in the middle of Friday night’s game between the Heat and Atlanta Hawks. But that was just the beginning of another beautiful chapter with his native team.

Read More: Udonis Haslem Pays Heartfelt Tribute to 3 of His Parents Ahead of Heat Jersey Retirement Honor: “That’s Really Tough”

Just after five months of retiring, he returned once again, as an executive this time around. After ending his career as a team captain for the last 16 seasons, Haslem fit into his new role like a glove. Now, his duties involve closely working with the coaching staff, mentoring players from both the Heat and the G-League, and representing the organization in the community.

Watch This Story: “39-year-old LeBron James ends 2023 high and way above fellow veteran Stephen Curry in elite NBA list”