Longtime Miami Heat veteran Udonis Haslem knows basketball whether it’s on or off the court, and ESPN knew it as well, so much so that they hired him as a full-time NBA analyst.
According to FOS, ESPN signed Haslem to a one-year deal where he will appear on shows such as NBA Today, First Take, Get Up and SportsCenter for the remainder of this season.
During the network’s coverage of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Haslem stood out as a guest analyst on First Take. He was so impressive that Magic Johnson implored ESPN to hire him, and after a few appearances over the last few weeks, ESPN took Magic’s recommendation to heart and signed the 44-year-old NBA veteran.
ESPN – You definitely have an excellent team of ex-players already with Kendrick Perkins, Jay Williams, Tim Legler, and JJ Reddick…but you should hire Udonis Haslem permanently! He's been spectacular breaking down the NBA playoffs – from the players’ game and mentality, to the…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 29, 2024
“He’s been spectacular breaking down the NBA playoffs,” posted Johnson on X.
Haslem won three NBA titles while spending 20 years with the Heat. After he retired, he took a front office position with the team.
He now becomes the latest former NBA player to sign a deal with a new network.
On Wednesday, NBC signed former Turner Sports broadcaster Reggie Miller as a lead analyst for their upcoming NBA coverage in the fall. Earlier this month, NBC also added former star Jamal Crawford as a lead analyst as well and the two will rotate alongside Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle.
The league’s newest streaming partner, Amazon Prime, added former stars Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki to their NBA studio coverage along with Taylor Rooks.
