Heat History Still Sets The Bar For Giannis

By the Heat Nightly Desk · Saturday, September 26

Miami's roster carries a demanding history into a season that has not started, from a number Bam Adebayo wears in tribute to a standard Pat Riley set decades ago. Giannis Antetokounmpo now walks into that same lineage, with camp underway and the record still 0-0.

Heat Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

A Number, Not Given

Bam Adebayo wears No. 13, the number the Heat honor for Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, whose plaque hangs in the arena even though he never played basketball in Miami. The Heat retired Chris Bosh's jersey in March 2019 and Dwyane Wade's in February 2020, the two most recent numbers raised to the rafters before Adebayo's tribute number. He enters his ninth season now anchoring a locker room built around Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Road Warriors' Bar

Pat Riley's 1996-97 team went 61-21, still the best record in franchise history, built on a 32-9 road mark that earned the nickname Road Warriors. That roster leaned on Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway for toughness, then lost to Michael Jordan's Bulls in the conference finals. The standard was physical basketball, not talent alone.

Jordan Never Suited Up

Riley retired Jordan's No. 23 in Miami anyway, honoring an opponent who never wore the uniform, because the standard mattered more than the laundry. That is the bar this franchise was built on.

Giannis Joins That Weight

Giannis Antetokounmpo now carries that history into a roster that averages 27.3 years old, the heaviest single bet on one player since the Big Three formed in 2010 with LeBron James and Bosh. He and Adebayo are both sidelined for camp, each with an estimated return around October 1, and the opener against Minnesota on October 21 is the first chance to see what that bet buys.

Bottom Line

Miami is 0-0, with extensions and Exhibit 10 deals still filling the last camp spots behind Pelle Larsson's four-year deal and Trevor Keels' departure to Washington. Nothing in this franchise's history, from the 2006 title to the two-time champions of 2012 and 2013, arrived without being earned first. Camp will not be the exception.

Why does Bam Adebayo wear No. 13?

The Heat use No. 13 as a tribute to Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, and Adebayo currently wears it, though the number is honored rather than officially retired.

What is the best record in Heat franchise history?

The 1996-97 team under Pat Riley went 61-21, still the best mark in franchise history, highlighted by a 32-9 road record known as the Road Warriors.