Miami Heat owner Micky Arison is headed to Springfield, Mass.
The longtime Heat owner was officially elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a 2025 inductee Saturday, joining Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Danny Crawford and Bulls head coach Billy Donovan! ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania was among the first to report the news Saturday.
The inductees won’t officially be enshrined until Sept. 6. There were a list of 17 finalists in February, which also included Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, Sylvia Fowles, Dusan Ivkovic, Marques Johnson and Tal Brody.
“The Hall of Fame is thrilled to celebrate the Class of 2025, a group that has left a profound mark on the sport at every level,” John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, said via release. “This year’s class embodies excellence, innovation, and an enduring passion for basketball—whether through game-changing performances, leadership on the sidelines, or shaping the sport’s global reach. We look forward to honoring this Class and their lasting contributions to the game.”
Arison, 75, bought the Heat away from Lewis Schaffel and Billy Cunningham for roughly $60 million in 1995 after previous ownership thought the team would struggle to survive economically in Miami.
Well, upon buying the Heat, Arison hired Pat Riley away from the New York Knicks to be the team’s general manager and the rest is history. The Heat have won three championships (2006, 2012, 2013) with seven conference titles under Arison’s watch, becoming arguably the most successful franchise in South Florida sports history and one of the most successful franchises over the last three decades.
Arison joins Pat Riley, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, Gary Payton, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade, the greatest player in franchise history, as Heat players to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
“When my father Ted Arison brought the Heat to Miami almost 40 years ago, he did not do so for accolades,” Arison said, according to AP’s Tim Reynolds. “He did it because he thought it was best for Miami. Madeleine, Nick, Kelly and I have been the proud stewards of that vision and are so proud of what the Heat mean both in our community and to fans around the world. For some, this is an individual honor. But for me, this speaks to what our entire Heat family – players, coaches, staff and fans – have built together.
“I look forward to enshrinement weekend in September, as well as future enshrinement weekends where more members of our Heat family will enter the Basketball Hall of Fame.”
Congratulations, Micky! Your legacy in South Florida will not only be here, but also reside up north forever!
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Nice Micky! Congratulations!
Yay! Congratulations! Time to spend some $ on a ss.
Congrats to the owner, one of the better ones.