"They sacrificed millions of dollars" - Udonis Haslem explains LeBron James risking it all to win championship for Heat

Udonis Haslem may not be a big name like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh, but the Miami Heat's Big 3 then knew how important Haslem was to the team.

In a recent interview with TNT and Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, Haslem revealed that Wade, James, and Bosh took pay cuts upon signing with the Miami Heat in 2010 just to keep a salary room open for re-signing him.

Haslem was particularly impressed by how James and Bosh, who became his teammates for the first time, decided to take some salary hit just for him to stay.

Haslem said:

"[I learned about] how important winning the championship was. Those guys didn't know me. Dwyane knew me obviously, but LeBron and Chris didn’t know me. But the fact that they thought that I want to help them get to that point of winning the championship and that it was so important that they sacrificed millions of dollars to get that for someone they didn’t know and haven't had a conversation with."

Although Haslem did not mention who relayed the story to him, he said that James, Wade, and Bosh, who quickly became friends after they all got drafted in 2003, agreed about his case over dinner.

Haslem continued:

"It was not like we sat out and had dinner and then, 'OK, we're gonna do this.' LeBron, D-Wade, and CB had dinner, and I wasn't part of the dinner."

He also liked how the then-newly formed Miami Big 3 made a quick agreement, especially since Haslem was already a free agent and was considering signing with another team.

He further said:

"They didn't have much time to think about that 'coz I was on my way out, so for those guys to make that decision on the fly and be just able to break a little bit of bread off of me, I just wanna make sure that one, I appreciate it and two, they get their money's worth."

Udonis Haslem's own sacrifice

Like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem took a pay cut but still signed with the Miami Heat anyway.

Already winning a title with Wade in 2006, Udonis Haslem could have opted for a greener pasture and signed with the Dallas Mavericks or the Denver Nuggets, but he re-signed with the Heat for five years worth $20 million.

It seemed like Udonis Haslem made a mistake when Dallas beat Miami for the 2011 NBA title, but the following year, Miami won it all and successfully defended the year after.