On eve of Hall of Fame induction, Heat’s Micky Arison reflects on 30 years
On the eve of his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Heat owner Micky Arison said Friday that this honor was never a goal when he purchased majority interest in the team 30 years ago.
“I would just say I’m appreciative,” Arison said during a brief media session in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Friday. “It is an honor... It was never a goal. Our goal was to win championships. Was fortunate enough to win three. Our goal was to create a fantastic atmosphere in Miami. Most great NBA players, coaches it’s a goal for them. It’s never been a goal for me. Despite that, I’m extremely appreciative.”
Arison, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year as a finalist, will be joined on stage by Heat president Pat Riley and Heat legends Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade. As presenters, Riley, Mourning and Wade do not have speaking roles.
“They were three key elements to our history for 30 years,” Arison said. “Pat was with me almost from the the very beginning. Zo [was acquired] the first year. From there the culture was created. Dwyane Wade helped take it to the top. Obviously the greatest player in Heat history; [he has] a statue on the top steps [of Kaseya Center]. I’m glad those three will be with me.”
Arison, who doesn’t relish being in the public eye like some owners do, has not spoken on the record to Heat reporters since 2013 and declined interviews with the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun Sentinel, preferring to keep the honor low-key.
NBA TV will carry Saturday night’s induction ceremony, from Springfield, Massachusetts, live at 7 p.m.
During Arison’s stewardship of the franchise, the Heat has won three NBA championships (2006, 2012, 2013). The team has also made seven NBA Finals appearances, made 10 Eastern Conference finals appearances, won 16 division titles and advanced to the playoffs 23 times.
Since Arison’s first full season operating the franchise, the Heat has the best record in the Eastern Conference and second best in the NBA. Among Arison’s crowning achievements as owner was orchestrating the hiring of Riley prior to the 1995-96 season.
Riley spent 11 seasons as the Heat’s head coach and has served as the team president since he arrived, becoming one of the most accomplished figures in South Florida sports.
“My management style is get the best people and let them go to work and don’t get in their way,” Arison said at a Hall of Fame press conference in April. “… I’m really uncomfortable being up here because I think the best owners are the most invisible owners and I’d rather be invisible than be up here.”
Under Arison’s leadership, the Heat earned the NBA’s 2021 Sales and Marketing Team of the Year award. In November 2020, Arison was named to the board of the NBA’s Social Justice Coalition that focuses on action and change around voting access and criminal justice reform at the national, state and local levels.
In 2018, the Heat captured the NBA’s inaugural Inclusion Leadership Award for the franchise’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Arison served a three-year term as the Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors beginning in October 2005 and his family has been involved with the organization since his father Ted Arison brought the franchise to the NBA in 1988.
Arison’s son, Nick Arison, has served as the Heat’s Chief Executive Officer since July 2011.
The Arison family has supported a variety of arts-related and community service organizations around South Florida. Organizations supported by the Arison family include World Central Kitchen, Wounded Warriors, ICA Miami, Miami Children’s Museum, Jackson Memorial Foundation, Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Project Medishare for Haiti, Direct Relief, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Miami, United Way of Miami Dade, Chapman Partnership, Lotus House, Overtown Youth Center, Feeding South Florida, among others.
Away from basketball, Arison has helped lead Carnival Corporation for more than three decades. He’s currently the chairman of Carnival Corporation and plc.
Arison, 76, will become the 11th person with Heat ties to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Billy Cunningham (1986), Bob McAdoo (2000), Riley (2008), Payton (2013), Mourning (2014), O’Neal (2016), Allen (2018), Bosh (2021), Hardaway (2022) and Wade (2023).
The other inductees on Saturday: former star players Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, and Sylvia Fowles, referee Danny Crawford, Bulls and former Providence College coach Billy Donovan and the 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s team.
Arison has had some interaction with the other inductees this year. “Got to know Billy Donovan a little bit, which was great. It was great pleasure to spend time with Danny Crawford. Obviously, I know Carmelo and Dwight well. It has been an enjoyable” week.
This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 3:05 PM.
