Live Heat updates: Giannis presser; LeBron speaks; Riley speaks; Portis; Bam news
It’s one of the most eventful days of the Heat’s offseason, and we’re launching a Miami Herald live blog to commemorate it.
Over a six-hour period on Thursday, there’s an NBA ruling on the Bam Adebayo/Tyler Herro altercation; introductory press conferences for new Heat players Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis; and LeBron James’ first public comments (expected around 1:15 p.m. today) in a week, as he decides where to play next season.
Please keep checking back for updates, which we will add at the top.
Riley on Giannis
Riley on Giannis: “This is a longtime coming. The city of Miami deserves it. When we spoke, I felt and heard the conviction in his voice. He talked about winning. He wants to win. He wants to win big. We’re not waiting. We hope Giannis can be here for the rest of his career.”
Riley said GM Andy Elisburg informed him on the night of June 22 that the Bucks agreed to the deal. “We landed the plane,” Riley said. “Now we have another one to land.... We landed a 747.” (The other plane remark seemingly was a reference to LeBron, who is reportedly considering a Heat reunion.)
He said landing another star is “nirvana for me. This is a part of who the Heat are. You don’t win championships unless you have greatness on the floor. I’m excited for this challenge. We are going to try to make the most if it. We have a lot of work to do. I’m excited about it.”
Riley also gave credit to Adebayo: “Bam has been the foundation of this organization. He had a lot to do because of the relationship of Giannis and convincing all of us that this is the way we should go.”
He also thanked general manager Adam Simon, Eric Amsler and Keith Askins and “the whole scouting staff” for producing the draft picks that could be flipped for Antetokounmpo.
“There’s a lot of upside there, and we had long discussions about it,” Riley said of sending away Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and Kel’el Ware in the trade.
“You’ve got to have the players and draft capital to do it, and we collected that. Once I felt we did, we almost made the deal in February. That went down in the midnight hour. I wish them nothing but the best. They’re great young players. But we’re about now. Giannis is about now too. It’s not easy when you spend a lot of time on development. It was hard to make that decision but once you make it, you go full forward with it. We did the right thing at the right time.”
In a reference to Adebayo taking a swing at Tyler Herro last week, Riley cracked that he mentioned Adebayo among Heat icons because he doesn’t “want to get knocked out.”
Spoelstra on Giannis
He said Pat Riley asked him, weeks ago, “Do you want to coach Giannis?”
Spoelstra: “I said yes. This is a great day for the city of Miami and organization. He’s a force of will. He’s a force of nature. On any given day or year, he can be the best on the planet. We have big expectations, big dreams. And you need someone like this man right here to accomplish what you want to accomplish.”
What could Antetokounmpo and Adebayo look like as a duo? Spoelstra: “They’re elite competitors. It matters to them to defend. If we are not defending the way we want to, I’m sure they will let everybody know. We want to build a top flight defense.”
Giannis speaks
He said: “I always had huge respect for the Heat organization. As players, we talk. You always hear about the Heat culture. Guys are driven. Guys are selfless. I always wondered what made them unique. With the Bucks, we tried to create that.. All that matters is winning.”
He said he needs pressure during this stage of his career and welcomes that: “We are like minded as a team and me” and said coming to Miami was “a no-brainer. I wanted to be here.”
He said this is the best place for him to try to win a championship.
He said he walked around the city “and people are very warm, excited for me to be here. All this stuff is nice. But I just love playing basketball. I was able to talk to the coaching staff [about] the way they play, what they think.”
He said he gets eight hours sleep before competing against most players but needs 12 hours before he plays Bam Adebayo.
“I’m excited to be on the same side with him after 10 years,” Giannis said.
He said he’s excited that he can remain teammates with Bobby Portis: “One thing I know about him is when it’s game time, he will be there. As a leader, as a teammate, you want guys like that around you.”
He said he’s excited to be coached by Spoelstra and people that he trusts have told him that Spoelstra is a “workaholic, doesn’t leave the gym, really dedicated to his craft, good at X’s and O’s. I need him to push me and tell me the truth. I want to be coached hard. I have a lot of people who approach me to make me feel good. I don’t need that. I want the truth. I rather you tell me the ugly truth than a beautiful lie. I feel the moment that I’m coached hard, everything will follow.”
Giannis said that “I’ve accomplished a lot of things in my career, but one of my goals is to win another championship. Whenever I put my mind to something, I usually accomplish it. And this is the best route for me to do that.”
He told Riley - whom he called “Mr. Pat” -- that he’s “kind of scared. This is different.”
He said “getting the phone call from Mr. Pat, it gave me a lot of closure of now it’s a new beginning. I was being vulnerable with him. ‘I know you think I’m this big, tough beast’ but at the end of the day, I’m human. I have my emotions and I was like, ‘I’m kind of scared. This is different. I [told him that I] have so much respect for you. When I was younger, we had a practice here, I went to your office to snoop around... to see what the great Pat Riley was about... I told him I’m excited. I will work hard.”
He said he appreciates the team’s “culture and history.... It will turn out for the best.”
He said he watched James and Dwyane Wade earlier in his career and thought “holy [expletive], I’ve got to get better.”
He said his presence makes teammates’ jobs “easier to execute.”
He said he’s here to “listen and learn.” He said he wants “to leave my mark on this community.”
He said one thing he doesn’t like about Miami are iguanas. “Those things have to stay away from me.”
Goldin signs deal
As expected, center Vlad Goldin signed the two-way offer made two weeks ago. The second-year center and rookie point guard Tre Donaldson hold two of the Heat’s three two-way contracts. Those contracts can be swapped out at any time.
Goldin appeared in 11 games for the Heat last season while playing on a two-way deal.
LeBron speaks
LeBron James spoke publicly for the first time in more than a week on Thursday. But he didn’t deliver the news that everyone is awaiting.
During a live taping of his podcast at a Fanatics Fest event in Manhattan on Thursday, James did not reveal where he will sign next season. Nor did he give any clues.
“Shout out my former team; I spent eight great years with the Los Angeles Lakers,” James said during the taping in front of a live audience at the Javits Center. “That was an unbelievable ride and I am looking forward to what comes next as I wind down my journey. It’s going to be pretty fun wherever I land.”
But he also said: “I won’t hold you guys up too much longer.”
He asked the crowd their opinion, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. After fans shout the Warriors, Heat, Philadelphia and Yankees, James laughed and said, “We’ll see what happens.”
James also made a reference to one commentator saying the Heat would be a play-in team even with James. (James responded to that with laughing emojis on social media.)
“I seen something on social media that wherever I go, maybe we’d be in the play in or some [expletive] like that and I’m not a factor anymore,” he said at the Manhattan event. “That’s just a little motivation.”
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was a guest on James’ podcast, and when he tried to ask James about his decision on his next team, James shot back: “Didn’t we already talk about this in the back?” Haliburton didn’t press the matter: “I’ll leave it alone,” he said.
He wouldn’t name a favorite team, mentioning former Heat, Cavaliers and Lakers teams, but said his Heat teams (2010-2014) were among his favorites. “We called ourselves the Heatles. Was an unbelievable team. Not only did we do it on the floor, but we also enjoyed each other off the floor. It was the perfect storm.”
Asked by a youngster about free agency, he said: “It’s a big decision. It’s the third time in my career I’ve been a free agent. It’s a big decision for not only myself but for my family, and where I want to spend the last few years or last year or last two years of my NBA career. Wherever I go, I will make my staple. I’m a natural born leader. I’m going to try to fit into whatever team I am going into, but also give them all the tools and all the knowledge I’ve been able to grasp.... I know all the ins and outs about the game.”
James told Haliburton “the excitement has come into the Eastern Conference this offseason... JB [Jaylen Brown] going to Philly, and Giannis going down to Miami. Boston retooled, picking up Mitchell Robinson; that’s going to help, Paul George. Cleveland is going to be back. You guys will be back competing. You can’t forget Orlando, Detroit. And you have the New York Knicks for sure... This is the first time in a long time that coming into a preseason, the Eastern Conference will be talked about a little bit more than the Western Conference.”
James’ focus has been on the Cavaliers, Heat and 76ers, with the Warriors and Timberwolves also in the mix, according to ESPN.
“I’m not holding my breath on an announcement this week,” ESPN’s Shams Charania said.
Riley, Spoelstra weigh in on Portis, trade
With Anteotokounmpo and Portis, Heat president Pat Riley said that the Heat now has a “very potent power rotation that’s very versatile.”
Regarding Portis (who was introduced at 12:30 p.m.), Riley said: “This is a longtime coming for me. I’ve always loved his game. A hell of a player and we’re very fortunate to have him as part of our organization. It’s sort of a dream and aspiration of mine that came true.
“Bobby is an old school player. He could have played with me with the Knicks. His game transcends any era. I could see a big front line. There’s a lot of things with Wiggs [Andrew Wiggins]. It’s going to begin to get better and better. I can’t wait for training camp.”
Riley said the trade created “three weeks of anxiety” because it couldn’t be announced until Jan. 6. “The anxiety is over. I can finally go to Europe on Saturday.”
Spoelstra: “We feel like we bring a physicality and edge to our frontcourt. That’s something we always wanted. Everyone’s always talking you need some positional size in the frontcourt. We feel we’ve checked those boxes... Bobby brings a lunch pail, physical mentality. He’s one of the best shooting bigs in the league. He’s a low post threat, a physical rebounder and crafty in a lot of pick and roll coverages defensively.
“The versatility, the toughness is something we wanted to address going into the offseason. We thought [Portis] would really be a great fit here. They say you have to adapt or die in this league. Bobby has adapted. His game fit then, [when he came into the league]. It definitely fits now.”
Portis said: “I was born to be a Heatle. This was one of my favorite teams growing up.”
The Heat will introduce Antetotkounmpo at 3 p.m., with live coverage on the Heat’s YouTube page and WPLG-10.
No discipline for Adebayo
The NBA will not discipline Bam Adebayo (or Tyler Herro) for their altercation at a Las Vegas hotel last week, the league disclosed Thursday.
“After discussing with the players involved and the NBPA, everyone would prefer to move on from this unfortunate circumstance, and no further action will be taken by the league,” the league said in a statement.
Adebayo reportedly took a swing at Herro last Friday because he was angry about comments that Herro made about Adebayo in a private conversation with a Heat fan on Instagram. That fan, a Toronto-based accountant, leaked the comments two weeks ago after Herro posted a graphic displaying Adebayo’s and Antetokounmpo’s poor mid-range shooting.
According to multiple sources, Herro’s anger toward Adebayo mostly stems from the Heat giving Adebayo a contract extension but bypassing one with Herro. This resentment has been simmering for a year, one player said.
The Heat also will not discipline Adebayo, according to a source.
LeBron James decision
Though James is scheduled to do a podcast in front of a live audience in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon, he is not expected to reveal his next team at that time, ESPN reported.
James remains focused on the Heat, Cleveland and Philadelphia, ESPN reported.
“The team that makes the most natural basketball fit to me is the Heat,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Thursday, in a reversal of his previous expressed opinions on the matter.
“If he wants to go play where he’d go back into the role as the ball handler, Miami has that role for him to be the primary ball handler. Because they have Bam and Giannis, they have the guys who can play the big man positions and protect him defensively. At this stage of his career he can have moments of good defense. Two weeks ago I didn’t have Miami at the top, I wasn’t even putting them in the top 2-3.”
Thompson update
Though the Heat has targeted Klay Thompson as its shooter of choice -- as we reported last week -- the Mavericks are not inclined to buy him out yet unless he forces the issue, longtime NBA writer Marc Stein reported.
The Mavericks instead prefer to trade him, Stein said.
But a trade with the Heat isn’t considered particularly realistic. The Mavericks likely wouldn’t have interest in taking on Nikola Jovic’s four year, $62 million contract, and the Heat (which has no tradable first round picks) isn’t inclined to attach draft assets to dump Jovic.
This could come down to whether Thompson and his agent, Greg Lawrence, push the Mavericks for a buyout sometime in the next two months. The Heat would like to sign him if he becomes available.
This story was originally published July 16, 2026 at 12:03 PM.
