Days After Shaquille O?Neal?s Interest in Buying Florida Based NBA Team, Oldest Active Player Openly Expresses Interest in Miami Heat Ownership

Shaquille O’Neal has left huge imprints all over NBA history. However, the once destructive, freakish force doesn’t seem to be done with the league just yet. Similar to Magic Johnson, The Big Diesel admitted he wants to own a franchise as well. The 51-year-old kept his usual mysterious tone while speaking about his goals. But he did reveal that he is eyeing a certain team in Florida. While his latest conquest is up for guesses, another NBA star isn’t hiding anything.

In his last season with the Miami Heat, this city legend openly admitted to wanting a stake in the franchise after his retirement.

Miami Heat legend shares ownership ambitions with Shaquille O’Neal

Udonis Haslem is more than just a name in Miami Heat history. Going by ‘U.D.’, he is a city legend. The Heat forward has dedicated two decades of his life to the franchise, a rare case of career-long loyalty. Within the franchise’s history, Haslem has his name stamped as the all-time leading rebounder. The 42-year-old has also won three championships with the Heat. Now, in his final season, Haslem revealed the ‘light‘ at the end of his career is to step into the shoes of the owner.

“I see the light. It took a while, but I see the light. The light for me is to step into the phase of being the owner. That?s the light for me, man,” said the 42-year-old in an interview with Andscape. “The impact that I?ve had on this organization, and the impact that I?ve had on this city, only thing that makes sense for me is to sit next to those guys and make these kind of decisions and have those opportunities.”?

‘Mr. Miami’ has done his homework on the subject as well. He has had conversations with Shaquille O’Neal, Buster Posey, Dwyane Wade,?and other athletes who transitioned into minority owners after their playing careers. Haslem is a major figure in not just Heat history, but Vice City as well. Born and raised in Miami, for him, it makes sense to take on the role given his impact and deep-rooted connection to the city.

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Unlike Shaq, Haslem doesn’t intend to have a major stake in the Heat franchise. Yet he does want to be sitting beside the authoritative figures and assist in major decision-making. The Big Aristotle had prior experience as a minority owner when he purchased a stake in the Sacramento Kings franchise back in 2013.

The Miami Heat front office is yet to give Haslem the go-ahead. But the 42-year-old does expect the franchise to absorb him into the ownership group purely due to his cultural impact over the past 20 years.

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Do you think Udonis Haslem will become a minority owner after retiring this season? Let us know your views in the comments below.