With NBA season in limbo, what happens next with Heat tickets amid pandemic? And Bam praise
When is the next time fans will fill AmericanAirlines Arena for a Miami Heat game?
The answer is still unknown, depending very much on the future trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it doesn’t look like the downtown Miami arena or any other Miami-Dade sports venue will be filled with spectators any time soon.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez told the Miami Herald last week that he envisions “empty stadiums” or “sparse stadiums” in Miami-Dade County for the rest of 2020 barring the development of an effective antiviral drug or vaccine.
And in a teleconference with members of the National Basketball Players Association on Friday night, NBA commissioner Adam Silver reportedly said playing at one or two potential sites (Las Vegas and Orlando are possibilities) made the most sense rather than teams using their respective home arenas if the 2019-20 season can be completed.
Several NBA teams have started to address refunds and credit policies for unplayed March and April regular-season games. As for the Heat, the organization last week issued a statement to the Miami Herald on the issue that read:
“We have been in regular communication with all of our season ticket members since the hiatus began. We have told them from the outset that should games get canceled or played without fans, credits and/or refunds will be available. Nothing has changed.”
When the NBA season was suspended on the night of March 11, there were nine remaining home games on the Heat’s regular-season schedule. Those nine unplayed home games (and the eight remaining unplayed road games) continue to be listed as postponed instead of canceled, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver reportedly telling players during Friday’s teleconference that a decision on whether to complete the 2019-20 season could come as late as June.
A message to ticket holders posted in March on the Heat’s website reads:
“The NBA has postponed games until further notice and the rescheduled date for these games are currently pending. Tickets held for any postponed game will be valid for the rescheduled date, once that is determined. Refunds may also be obtained through point of purchase.
“For tickets purchased directly from the AmericanAirlines Arena ticket office, please email ticketoffice@HEAT.com.”
Then there’s the question of how this could affect ticket sales next season, including season-ticket holders who have already placed deposits for the 2020-21 season. A Heat spokesperson said “it’s just too soon to know what it will look like” next season.
As for hosting concerts and other events at AmericanAirlines Arena with crowds, Gimenez said to the Miami Herald “that’s a ways away.”
“First thing is first and then we’ll work on those things,” Gimenez said. “Concerts and all, those are large events, and I don’t see large events happening here for a while unless we get some kind of an antiviral, where if you catch it that this will cure you or some kind of a vaccine.”
A message posted on the AmericanAirlines Arena website reads:
“The COVID-19 situation has resulted in countless postponements at venues around the United States, including the AmericanAirlines Arena. The sheer volume of refunds being requested has overwhelmed the system impacting the speed at which refunds can be processed.
“For Ticketmaster’s updated information about event status, refunds and options, click here.
“For guests who purchased tickets at the Arena Box Office and/or need additional information, please contact: ticketoffice@heat.com”
The Heat is targeting Wednesday, at the earliest, for the first day it will allow players to begin working out at AmericanAirlines Arena. The NBA began allowing for team practice facilities to open for voluntary individual workouts on Friday as allowed per local orders, with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers opening its doors for player workouts that day and other teams around the league expected to do the same this week.
HIGH PRAISE FOR BAM
In a video released by the Heat on Friday, team president Pat Riley compared the 22-year-old Bam Adebayo to franchise icon Dwyane Wade.
“I’ve never met a man like this, a player, who was so respectful, had so much dignity, was such a team guy, that has grown to a point where he wants this responsibility,” Riley said in the video. “And night in and night out, we see the best of the best. He reminds me a lot of Dwyane and Dwyane’s attitude. Dwyane came in, he was a no-nonsense guy. He went right to work, and he became a great player. And he had an attitude and a competitiveness and a killer instinct, besides the talent. But he had this attitude that was above and beyond. I think that’s what Bam is.
“Bam possesses this attitude about doing it the right way and doing it every day. He’s a pleasure to coach. And I think Spo has lit that into so much respect, that he has put him in position to be successful. And Bam has shown right back to coach, that, ‘I really appreciate your level of trust in me and I’m going to deliver something for you big time.’ That’s how I look at Bam. He’s just an incredible human being.”
In his third NBA season and first as a full-time starter, Adebayo averaged career highs in points (16.2), rebounds (10.5), assists (5.1), steals (1.2), blocks (1.3) and minutes (34.4) on his way to earning his first All-Star Game appearance before the season was suspended.
▪ Fox Sports Sun will replay each game of the Heat’s 2013 historic 27-game win streak. Starting Tuesday at 6 p.m. with the first win in Toronto on Feb. 3, 2013, Fox Sports Sun will air every win in consecutive order on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays through June 6.
The Heat’s 27-game win streak in 2013 still stands as the second-longest single-season win streak in NBA history.
This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 12:10 PM.
