The Miami Heat are a professional basketball team based in Miami, competing in the NBA’s Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. They play home games at Kaseya Center and have won three NBA championships.
Founded in 1988 as an expansion team, the Heat struggled initially but gained prominence in the mid-1990s after Pat Riley became team president and head coach. Riley’s key acquisitions of Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway turned the team into playoff contenders, winning four consecutive division titles. After drafting Dwyane Wade in 2003, the Heat won their first NBA title in 2006, led by Wade and Shaquille O’Neal.
Following O’Neal’s departure, the team struggled until the formation of the “Big Three” in 2010, with Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh. This trio led Miami to four straight NBA Finals, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. After their departures by 2016, the Heat entered a rebuilding phase.
In 2019, the Heat acquired Jimmy Butler, leading to NBA Finals appearances in 2020 and 2023. The team also set the NBA’s third-longest winning streak of 27 games during the 2012–13 season.
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