Before playing their first preseason game against the Hornets in Charlotte on Tuesday, the Heat made two important announcements.
The first was that due to the passage of Hurricane Milton, the October 10 game against the Atlanta Hawks at the Kaseya Center (7:30 pm) was postponed and the new date will be October 16 at the same time.
All tickets sold for Thursday will be honored on Wednesday, October 16. Refunds will be available at the point of buy for any fans not able to attend the rescheduled date.
In the second, the Heat announced that all current and future courts will have a dedication in honor of former coach and current team president, Pat Riley, so that from now on his name will be displayed on the main court of the Kaseya Center.
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Riley, who is about to begin his 30th season with the organization, thus becomes just the second coach in NBA history to receive such an honor, joining Boston’s Red Auerbach.
Riley’s permanent on-court dedication will be unveiled when the Heat host the Orlando Magic at home on the opening night of the season, Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
“Thirty years, three championships, countless moments – none of this would have been possible without Pat Riley at the helm,” said Miami team owner Micky Arison.
“Pat has accomplished so much for this franchise and this city that it is only fitting that his name be forever etched into the woodwork, where we will remember his impact on the game and the Heat every day.”
In a promotional video with the announcement, Riley can be seen excited by such a high honor when Arison tells him about it.
“This has been an incredible journey that Micky and I have had together over the past 30 years,” said President Riley.
“The goal from day one was to win and win big. We did. We won championships, we sprayed ourselves with champagne, we held parades, we celebrated on this floor, in this arena, in the streets with our great fans and we hung the names of our best players from the rafters.”
“Having the field named after me would have made my parents very proud. It is a huge honor for Chris, me, and my family. I can only thank Micky and the Arison family from the bottom of my heart for this honor. And to all of the players, coaches, staff and fans, I say thank you,” Riley added.
Since his arrival in Miami, he has worked on some of the most important trades in the NBA, deals that have brought stars to Miami such as Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Eddie Jones, Shaquille O’Neal, Shawn Marion, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Goran Dragic, Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowrym among others.
Riley led the Heat to six consecutive playoff appearances from 1996 to 2001 and was named Coach of the Year in 1997. In 2006, he won the first title in the history of the franchise.
On April 28, 2008, Riley became team president, a tenure that began in earnest with the 2010 offseason acquisitions of LeBron and Bosh to form what became known as the “Big Three” alongside franchise stalwart Dwyane Wade.
From 2010 to 2014, the Miami club made four consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals, including back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
Riley was named the league’s Executive of the Year in 2010-11. In 2017, Riley made the first in a series of moves that shaped much of the team’s current core by selecting Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro in the 2017 and 2019 NBA Drafts, respectively, and then orchestrated a four-team trade to acquire star Jimmy Butler on July 6, 2019.
On February 8, 2022, Riley was recognized as one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history. All disclosed, Riley’s resume with the Heat is nothing short of brilliant five-time Coach of the Month, Coach of the Year (1996-97), Executive of the Year (2010-2011), and three-time NBA champion.
Riley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 5, 2008, in his first season of eligibility.
