Miami Heat managing general partner Micky Arison has been named a finalist for induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Arison has continued to serve as one of the driving forces behind one of the NBA’s most winningest franchises.

Arison took majority control of the franchise in 1995. Since then, the Heat have won three titles in 2006, 2012 and 2013. One of Arison’s first moves with the organization was bringing in Hall of Famer Pat Riley to become the team’s head coach. Riley was one of the best coaches in basketball at the time, helping lead the Los Angeles Lakers to four championships prior to joining the Heat.

After Riley led the Heat to a championship in 2006, he converted to a role in the front office. He and Arison have been the leading executives for the organization since. One of their first moves in collaboration was promoting then-assistant coach Erik Spoelstra to the head coaching role. Since Spoelstra’s promotion, the Heat have been one of the winningest teams in basketball. They have won two championships along with another four Eastern Conference titles under his reign.

Arison’s influence over the franchise has earned him a spot along the likes of Heat icons. There are nine members of the Hall of Fame with Miami Heat ties. Listed below are the members and the year they were inducted:

Bob McAdoo (2000)

Pat Riley (2008)

Gary Payton (2013)

Alonzo Mourning (2014)

Shaquille O’Neal (2016)

Ray Allen (2018)

Chris Bosh (2021)

Tim Hardaway (2022)

Dwyane Wade (2023)

The unveiling of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 is set for April 5.

SPOELSTRA SHARES OPTIMISM AMID HEAT STRUGGLES

The Miami Heat had a tough few weeks.

The Jimmy Butler trade saga finally concluded after months of dispute between the disgruntled star and the front office. The Heat are 2-5 in February. As we reach the All-Star break, the struggles have reached a tipping point with fans.

After Thursday night’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks, coach Erik Spoelstra shared his optimism regarding getting back on track.

“We’re going to correct that,” Spoelstra said. “We’re going to get better. We have enough experience with it now. Our guys are fully aware of it. Everybody wants to be better in the situations, you know, when we’re up. Now, we’ll take a few days off. I’ll get to work, the staff will get to work, we’ll do what we need to do. I promise we’re going to correct this.”

The Heat are three games below .500 with a 25-28 record. They entered this week as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. Now, the Heat find themselves just outside the playoff picture at the No. 9 seed. That is still good for a play-in spot but the Heat’s potential sixth consecutive playoff appearance could be in jeopardy if the team doesn’t turn it around.

One bright spot for the Heat has been the breakout of Tyler Herro. He was named an All-Star reserve for his performance this season. He will be participating in the Starry Three-Point Contest on Saturday night before suiting up for Kenny’s Young Stars in the NBA’s revamped All-Star Game format on Sunday night.

The Heat’s first game back from the All-Star break is set for next Friday. They face the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena.

HASLEM ENDORSES HERRO AS ALL-STAR STARTER

Tyler Herro is having a breakout season with the Miami Heat.

He is seeing career-highs in almost every statistical category. Herro is averaging 23.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists while shooting 46.4 percent from the field. He is also shooting 38.8 percent from three-point range. He was recently named to his first All-Star appearance as a reserve.

On his podcast, The OGs Show, former Heat star Udonis Haslem was asked by co-host Mike Miller if the NBA got it right when it came to naming the starters for this year’s All-Star game. He believes Herro should have been named a starter instead of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.

“I had the same list and the only thing I did differently was I put Tyler Herro in there,” Haslem said. “And people said it was Heat love. No, it’s not Heat love. Tyler Herro is averaging more points than Donovan [Mitchell] right now. He’s averaging more rebounds than Donovan right now. He is averaging more assists right now and he is shooting a higher percentage from the field and three-point. But I do understand that when you are playing on a great team sharing with Darius Garland, other guys got to get involved. But across the board, Tyler Herro has better numbers than Donovan Mitchell.”

Mitchell and Herro’s statistics are similar. Mitchell is making his sixth consecutive All-Star appearance while leading the best team in the Eastern Conference. Herro is making his first appearance amid a breakout season. If Herro can continue his play into future seasons, there is a possibility he can be named a All-Star starter.

Herro will suit up for Kenny’s Young Stars on Sunday night.

Sean Jordan is a contributor to Miami Heat On Sports Illustrated. He can be reached at sjorda06@syr.edu.

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