Team:
Miami Heat
Sport: NBA Basketball
Background: The Miami Heat
are a National Basketball Association team
based in Miami, Florida.
Founded: 1988
Home Arena: American Airlines
Arena
Uniform colors: Red, Black,
Flame orange and Yellow
Logo design: A flaming basketball
going through a hoop
Franchise History:
The Miami HEAT came into the NBA for the 1988-89
season as part of a two-phase league expansion
that also included the Orlando Magic, the
Minnesota Timberwolves and the Charlotte Hornets.
After spending its first few years in the
cellar, the franchise began to make progress
thanks to a series of shrewd draft selections.
Although the Heat failed to achieve a winning
season during their first five campaigns,
the team stayed close to the break-even point
and made it into the playoffs faster than
any of its expansion peers.
The campaign to install an NBA franchise in
Miami began in the mid-1980s. The two main
movers were Zev Buffman, a producer of stage
extravaganzas, and Billy Cunningham, an NBA
Hall of Famer and successful head coach. In
1987 the NBA voted to expand by four teams.
Charlotte and Miami were admitted for the
1988-89 season after paying an entry fee of
$32.5 million apiece, and Orlando and Minnesota
came aboard the following year.
