None other than longtime Miami Heat owner Micky Arison has been selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and he’s set to join a class that includes former New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, former Orlando Magic big man Dwight Howard and four-time WNBA champion Maya Moore.
The enshrinement ceremony will take place on Sept. 6 in Springfield, Mass., and a trio of Heat legends will serve as the presenters for Arison during the ceremony. Specifically, he will be accompanied by Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley, all three of whom have deep ties to Arison.
Micky Arison will be presented for his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement by three great choices: Alonzo Mourning, Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade.
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Both Wade and Mourning spent large chunks of their playing careers with the Heat organization over the course of Arison’s lengthy tenure owning the team.
Mourning played 10-plus seasons of his pro career in Miami across two separate stints, and Arison’s tenure as owner was in its fledgling stages at the start of Mourning’s first stint with the Heat. The big man’s first season in a Heat uniform was in the 1995-96 campaign, and Arison bought the team in 1995.
Wade, on the other hand, was a member of the Heat for the overwhelming majority of his pro career, and he was invaluable to the Heat earning their reputation as a storied franchise. He was on the team for every one of Miami’s three championships in franchise history, and he might just be the most accomplished Heat player ever.
Last but not least, Riley has been involved with the Heat organization in some capacity since 1995, and he and Arison have been working together in Miami for decades now. Riley’s role has oscillated over the years, as he formerly served as the team’s head coach and currently acts as Miami’s team president. He last served as the Heat’s head coach back in the 2007-08 campaign, and Miami won only 15 games that season.
There are no three people who make more sense to be Arison’s presenters during the enshrinement ceremony than Wade, Mourning and Riley, and Heat fans should make sure that they have Sept. 6 circled on their calendars.