Former Miami Heat big man Udonis Haslem should be viewed by fans as someone who is synonymous with Heat culture. He spent 20 seasons in the league — every one of them with Miami — and played the second-most games in a Heat uniform of any player in franchise history with 879 (including the regular season only).

Throughout his long tenure with the Heat, he was around for some of the most successful seasons in franchise history. He was a member of the Heat for every one of their three title runs in 2006, 2012 and 2013. Plus, he was with the Heat for both of the team’s NBA Finals runs earlier this decade with forward Jimmy Butler leading the way.

Former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden said during a podcast appearance that Heat culture is defined by Haslem.

“The Heat culture is defined by Udonis Haslem,” Oden said. “And we all know that the type of person he is, one of the best dudes, do anything for you, but he gonna fight everybody in this b—- for you too.”

Some fans might have forgotten that Oden spent a cup of coffee with Miami during the Big 3 era, when the team was headed by forward LeBron James, guard Dwyane Wade and big man Chris Bosh. Specifically, Oden appeared in 23 games for the Heat in the 2013-14 season (and a few more in the playoffs), the final season of the Big 3 era.

He logged six starts during his tenure. He averaged 2.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game in the regular season.

With Miami, the former Ohio State University standout came up just short of winning what would have been his first (and ultimately only) ring in the NBA. The Heat had a relatively smooth path to the 2014 NBA Finals but lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the championship series.

Oden saw his NBA career get spoiled by the injury bug. On the rare occasions he was healthy enough to play during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers, he showed plenty of promise. Across 82 total regular-season games played with Portland, he averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per contest.

Oden’s recent words only fortify the conclusion that Haslem was instrumental to Miami’s success during his time as a player, even if he was never a star in his tenure with the storied organization. He is now the vice president of basketball development for the franchise.