Miami Heat: An Illustrated Timeline

A 27-game winning streak. NBA championships in 2006, 2012, and 2013. Hall of Fame players, a Hall of Fame coach running everything, and even a Hall of Fame owner. And stars so big they go by just one name in the basketball world: Shaq, Dwyane, LeBron, Zo, Riles, Spo, and Udonis. This is the story of the Miami Heat. A franchise born from an idea in the mid-1980s took the floor for the first time in 1988, in a place where until then all fans really had to root for in South Florida were two legendary football teams: the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Hurricanes. Over time, the Heat did what few thought possible in those early days. They turned Miami into a basketball town. The stories of Pat Riley, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Erik Spoelstra, Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, and many more are forever part of Miami sports lore. The first championship over Dallas in 2006 meant the Heat had arrived; the next two championships in 2012 and 2013 cemented the franchise's place among the NBA's great organizations. There were some tough days. Some tough seasons, too. The first years were a big struggle. The team has gone to the NBA Finals and lost on four occasions. Some breakups with players got ugly. But no matter the result, no matter the era, the Heat under Riley, Arison, and Spoelstra had an unrelenting belief in what they call culture: the philosophy that working harder than other teams is the only way to win.