Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an NBA basketball team based in Miami, Florida, with Kaseya Center as their home arena.
Contents21 sections
Key facts
1987An expansion franchise
On April 22, the NBA announced expansion franchises for both Miami and Orlando. The Heat were scheduled to begin in 1988–89, with Orlando joining a season later.[1]
November 1988First game
The Heat played their first game on November 5 against the Los Angeles ClippersLA ClippersThe Los Angeles Clippers are an NBA basketball team based at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, United States.Open the full entry.[2]
1992First playoffs
The team reached the NBA playoffs for the first time.[2]
1995Arison takes charge
Micky Arison became the team’s managing general partner, leading its ownership group.[3]
September 1995
Pat Riley became president and head coach.[4]
1997First Eastern Conference finals
Miami went 61–21 and reached its first Eastern Conference finals.[2]
December 1999New arena opens
The arena now known as Kaseya Center opened on December 31 and became a major event venue in downtown Miami.[5]
2003Drafting Wade
The Heat selected Dwyane Wade in the NBA Draft.[6]
2006First NBA championship
Wade led the Heat to their first NBA championship and was named Finals MVP.[6]
2010–2014A three-player core
LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in 2010. The trio reached the Finals in all four seasons together.[2]
2012–2013Back-to-back titles
The Heat won consecutive NBA championships.[6]
2020
Lost the Finals to the Lakers in six games.[7]
April 2023Kaseya naming agreement
Miami-Dade County approved a naming agreement with Kaseya, changing the Heat’s home arena name to Kaseya Center.[8]
June 2023Another Finals appearance
The Heat returned to the NBA Finals and lost 4–1 to the Denver NuggetsDenver NuggetsThe Denver Nuggets are an NBA basketball team based in Denver, Colorado, playing at Ball Arena.Open the full entry.[9]
February 2025
Jimmy Butler was traded to the Warriors.[10]
March 2026Adebayo’s 83 points
Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a game, the second-highest total in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100.[11]
April 2026
Lost to the Hornets in overtime in the play-in.[12]
July 2026Acquiring Giannis
Miami acquired Giannis AntetokounmpoGiannis AntetokounmpoGiannis Antetokounmpo is a professional basketball player, entrepreneur and investor. A two-time NBA regular-season MVP, he led the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2021 championship and won Finals MVP. He is co-founder and chairman of Ante, Inc. and founder and general partner of Build Your Legacy Ventures, with business interests in sports clubs, consumer brands, media production and prediction markets. He joined the Miami Heat in July 2026.Open the full entry and Bobby Portis Jr. from Milwaukee for Tyler Herro, Kasparas Jakučionis, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, draft picks and a pick swap.[13]
Home arena
Kaseya Center is in downtown Miami at 601 Biscayne Boulevard.[5]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Miami Heat: Official website: https://www.nba.com/heat/ (opens in a new window).[14]
Miami Heat: X: https://x.com/miamiheat (opens in a new window).[15]
Miami Heat: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MiamiHeat (opens in a new window).[16]
Miami Heat: Facebook: https://facebook.com/miamiheat (opens in a new window).[17]
Miami Heat: YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/miamiheat (opens in a new window).[18]
Sources
- NBA expansion decision awards two Florida franchises (opens in a new window)
- Miami Heat 2015–16 Media Guide (opens in a new window)
- Micky Arison (opens in a new window)
- Bio: Pat Riley (opens in a new window)
- Kaseya Center Celebrates 25 Years (opens in a new window)
- Dwyane Wade (opens in a new window)
- The Finals Stat, Game 6: Lakers dominate at the rim (opens in a new window)
- Miami-Dade County and Miami Heat announce Kaseya Center partnership (opens in a new window)
- 2023 NBA Playoffs are most-watched in five years (opens in a new window)
- The Next Era: How The Landscape In Miami Changes With Trade Of Jimmy Butler To Golden State (opens in a new window)
- Bam Adebayo’s Historic 83-Point Night — March 10, 2026 (opens in a new window)
- Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets — April 14, 2026 (opens in a new window)
- Official: Heat acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis Jr. (opens in a new window)
- Miami Heat — official website (opens in a new window)
- Miami Heat — X (opens in a new window)
- Miami Heat — Instagram (opens in a new window)
- Miami Heat — Facebook (opens in a new window)
- Miami Heat — YouTube (opens in a new window)