Miami Heat: A fan’s viewpoint on the main topics of discussion
Preseason is about to begin at the end of this week, so as part of a new series of articles written exclusively for Sky Sports by NBA superfans from the UK and Ireland, we examine the current status of play for each team.
Although I’ve always been an avid sports fan in the UK, I had never been interested in any sports played in other countries for a very long time. That was until my younger brother messaged me on the eve of the NBA season 2016–17, saying he had only vaguely followed the sport the previous season and that it was about to get back up, so he recommended we both give it a shot. Alright, basketball, I thought. An easy-to-understand foundation for a fast-paced sport—let’s try it!
When I asked him who he was going to support, he said that he would support the Magic because he visited Orlando frequently. I chose the Miami Heat, Orlando’s southern neighbors, just to start an intrastate rivalry!
After opening the Twitter account in 2019, we have a significant social media following now. It has developed into a forum for Heat supporters worldwide to communicate and debate every facet of the team, and we currently have more than a dozen contributors that assist in creating written and visual content. Every top content creator in South Florida has taken us under their wing, and we’ve even garnered the official Miami Heat account’s fan base!
We also have a podcast called HEATing Up The UK, which I host. Other notable guests have included members of the media as well as notable individuals from within the organization. The culmination of all my hard work came when I was fortunate enough to travel to Miami in March of this year to witness the team play. The Miami Heat even gave me a customized ‘UK DAN’ Heat jersey and took me down onto the court to watch the players warm up. An enduring memory that I will always cherish.
This one is really simple. Both Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. Many saw Jimmy’s transfer to the Heat as a retirement move, and he was called a locker room disruptor. He guided them to Game 6 of the NBA Finals in Year 1 with only Bam, Goran Dragic, and a number of rookies and undrafted exiles. He was a perfect fit for the rigorous ‘Heat Culture’ because of his leadership role.
