Chandler Parsons Retires

[Jbossgator8]

@Towels 'N Sporks Parsons last year at UF he helped guide us to the Elite 8 where we lost in OT to Butler by 3 points. We didn't have an early exit his final year at UF. It helped kicked off 3 straight years of the Gators getting to the Elite 8 and then the year after that we went to the Final 4. Parsons with 16 points 9 rebounds and 7 assists in the HUGE OT win over Jimmer and BYU that year.

 

[gatorev12]

Parsons was always one of my favorite players here: the guy could do it all and was a mismatch to guard since he could stretch opposing defenses with his 3s and be a constant slashing/dunking threat off the dribble.

Didn't come here with a lot of expectations--just a guy who grinded, worked hard, and improved every year. Then went on to do the same in the pros before injuries wrecked his career. Proud of everything he's accomplished--a great Gator athlete and success story!

 

[G. Gordon Gator]

With Chandler Parsons retiring at the grand old age of 33, it's time for a reminder of the Gator Great who is currently the Association's oldest player, at 41.

“Udonis is just that guy who brings his lunch pail in a city that everybody thinks isn’t a lunch pail kind of place. Everybody sees Miami and they see South Beach; he is what the real Miami is,” says Michael McCullough, the Heat’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “He is the epitome and the embodiment of what Heat culture is. The ultimate sacrificer, the hard worker, the one who sheds the spotlight, the one who doesn’t care for the adulation and does whatever it takes for the team to be successful.”​

He doesn't get a lot of playing time anymore but is the Team Captain, aka "The Keeper of the Culture," and is still good for the occasional game time contribution in addition to running practices. Here are some scores, boards and even a block from THIS season:

 

[rogdochar]

Would Udonis make it as a Gator basketball coach.?? He certainly has trained himself to be a fighter.

 

[G. Gordon Gator]

Would Udonis make it as a Gator basketball coach.?? He certainly has trained himself to be a fighter.

He would be a good coach, and probably will finally retire and move into the coaching ranks next year as an assistant with the Heat. He will not move to Gainesville to coach the Gators, though. He is (literally) too invested in his native Miami community to leave. He is heavily involved in all kinds of local charity work and community affairs, but beyond that owns a bunch of small businesses and employs hundreds of people. He also owns a lot of real estate in the area.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

With Chandler Parsons retiring at the grand old age of 33, it's time for a reminder of the Gator Great who is currently the Association's oldest player, at 41.

“Udonis is just that guy who brings his lunch pail in a city that everybody thinks isn’t a lunch pail kind of place. Everybody sees Miami and they see South Beach; he is what the real Miami is,” says Michael McCullough, the Heat’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “He is the epitome and the embodiment of what Heat culture is. The ultimate sacrificer, the hard worker, the one who sheds the spotlight, the one who doesn’t care for the adulation and does whatever it takes for the team to be successful.”​

He doesn't get a lot of playing time anymore but is the Team Captain, aka "The Keeper of the Culture," and is still good for the occasional game time contribution in addition to running practices. Here are some scores, boards and even a block from THIS season:

That guy is a Miami Hurricane.

If guys like Udonis can claim no loyalty to UF after playing here as a “business decision” then my response is that I cheered for him, as a business decision while he wore the orange and blue.

Now that our mutual business arrangement has ended I see no reason whatsoever to continue to support him.

 

[G. Gordon Gator]

That guy is a Miami Hurricane.

If guys like Udonis can claim no loyalty to UF after playing here as a “business decision” then my response is that I cheered for him, as a business decision while he wore the orange and blue.

Now that our mutual business arrangement has ended I see no reason whatsoever to continue to support him.

Udonis Haslem attended the University of Florida and was a 4-year standout player for the Gators. 20 years later he is still the third-leading scorer in UF history. He is inducted in the UF Hall of Fame as a, "Gator Great." He is married and has three sons with his UF college sweetheart Faith Rein, who was a Gator track athlete.

It's true that Udonis has said various times that he will always have love for the Hurricanes, due to being born and raised in inner-city Miami where the Canes are everything. It is important for him to maintain that connection and that "street credibility," because of the huge amount of community outreach work he does with underprivileged youth in Miami.

However, UD has never said that he, "claims no loyalty to UF." He has never had anything negative to say about the Gators or the University of Florida. To the contrary, he says his time at Florida was, "probably the best four years of my life," and he made that statement in 2021, which was AFTER three different NBA Championship-winning years with the Miami Heat.

So, frankly, it doesn't really matter what Udonis says about the Hurricanes, nor does it matter what anyone says about him. He may be a Miami Hurricane fan, but he is not a Miami Hurricane. He is a Florida Gator and will be one for life.

 

[G. Gordon Gator]

It's too bad we never played UM during UD's four years at UF because there is no doubt whatsoever that he would've balled the Fuchs out and been the leading scorer in the game.

 

[Frozen Gator]

Great man, Great Gator, Great success story!

 

[GatorTruth133]

Congrats. Gotta admit, I had no hope for him as NBA player when he first came to UF, much less an impact player at UF. Well I would not say his career at UF would have given anyone the thought that he would turn into a good NBA player and make the kind of money he did. Well done. Good on you Parsons. hard work paid off big time!!!

I remember that FSU game where he missed layups like he was trying to fix the game. Then he went on to become one of the longer UF NBA careers.