Celebs showed up in force to support Miami Heat for Game 3 of the NBA playoff series
White hot, indeed.
The hottest ticket in town Saturday for basketball fans was the sizzling matchup between longtime rivals the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center in downtown Miami.
The arena was packed to the hilt for the Heat’s 105-86 win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, with folks dressed in all white, some with their faces painted, to show their support and cheer like crazy.
Celebrities were no doubt double dipping that other major sporting event, Formula One’s Miami Grand Prix a few miles north at Hard Rock Stadium, but made time for the Heat.
Spotted in the crowd were usual suspects like Heat fanatic DJ Khaled (in a festive blue guayabera adorned with fish) and former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez, who brought his daughters, Ella and Natasha, and girlfriend Jaclyn Cordeiro. Also seen were Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier, sitting in the front row. They arrived about an hour before the game started, and McDaniel was seen signing autographs.
Among other bold-facers lucky enough to score a ticket (the cheapest going for upward of $150 a pop ) was You Tube star turned boxer Jake Paul, who fist bumped a thrilled looking young fan.
“The View” cohost Ana Navarro had her game face on, writing on Instagram: “It’s been a minute. Takes a lot to get me to a sport event. But here I am, dressed in white, rooting on my hometown team.”
OK, we did notice a sprinkling of outsiders in the mix.
Irish native turned Miami resident Chaunce O’Connor gave away his Knicks T shirt outside the arena for free.
The Boston Red Sox fan didn’t want the Heat to win, so he decided to throw his support behind their arch enemies.
“Just for today, I’m for the Knicks,” he said. “Patrick Ewing is still one of the best of all time. He’s a legend who does charity work and is an all-around great person.”
Miami Herald sports writer Barry Jackson contributed to this report.
This story was originally published May 6, 2023 at 5:10 PM.
