Our NBA Tuesday tour continues down to South Beach today as we take on the Miami Heat. Despite winning 3 NBA titles in its history—and reaching the Finals 4 other times—the history of the players on the team isn’t that impressive. When most of the guys on a Top 10 list haven’t even cracked 50 WS with the team, you can see the transitory nature of the roster over time. Kudos to the stability of late for the Heat!

No. 10: Glen Rice, SF—40.2 WS (1989-1995)

The No. 4 overall pick in the draft after leading his college team to an NCAA title, Rice never made an All-Star team while in a Heat uniform. In fact, Miami made the postseason just twice with him on the team, and he played in just 8 playoff games total (15.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.6 spg). His regular-season numbers were slightly better (19.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.2 spg), but getting stuck on a new expansion team isn’t easy at all.

No. 9: Tim Hardaway, PG—44.1 WS (1996-2001)

He made two All-Star rosters with the Heat, despite coming to the team at age 29 with a lot of mileage on some broken-down knees. Hardaway posted 17.3 ppg, 7.8 apg, 3.2 rpg, and 1.5 spg over 367 regular-season games with the team (all starts). In the postseason, he helped Miami succeed more than it had beforehand: 15.5 ppg, 6.2 apg, 3.1 rpg, and 1.2 spg in 39 playoff games (all starts). Tim Bug always gave everything he had.

No. 8: Chris Bosh, PF/C—44.2 WS (2010-2016)

One of the Big Three that helped Miami to 4 straight Finals appearances (2011–2014) and 2 NBA titles (2012, 2013), he actually made 6 consecutive All-Star appearances as a member of the Heat (2011-2016) before needing to retire due to injuries. His regular-season stats with the team: 18.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, and 1.8 apg as the third banana in 384 games, all starts. Postseason? Bosh put up 14.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, and 1.1 bpg. Not bad.

No. 7: Eddie Jones, SG/SF—44.5 WS (2000-2005, 2007)

Miami was his third team in a long career, and he actually had 2 different stints with the Heat. He was never an All Star with the team, but Jones came to the franchise as a former one. In 387 regular-season contests, he posted 16.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, and 1.3 spg. In the postseason (34 games), Jones contributed 13.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, and 1.2 spg. Overall, his best years came before his Miami days, but he was a solid player still.

No. 6: Jimmy Butler, SF/PF—45.6 WS (2019-present)

He has helped the team reach 2 NBA Finals in his time with the organization (2020, 2023), and he shows no signs of slowing down as evidenced by our pick of him for the NBA MVP in 2023. Oddly, he’s only been an All Star twice (2020, 2022) with the Heat, but we know his value: 21.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 5.8 apg, and 1.8 spg in the regular season (269 games) and 24.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 5.7 apg, and 1.9 spg in the postseason (64). Playoff Jimmy!

No. 5: Bam Adebayo, C/PF—47.5 WS (2017-present)

Who had this guy on their Top 10 list for the Heat prior to reading this piece? The No. 14 overall pick in the draft, he’s made 3 All-Star teams in 7 seasons, and he has combined with Butler to make Miami a formidable team. His numbers are strong: 15.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg, and 3.5 apg in the regular season (465 games) and 15.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and 3.4 apg in the playoffs (69). Pretty decent return value for the draft pick, we’d say.

No. 4: Udonis Haslem, PF/C—50.9 WS (2003-2023)

What’s crazy here is that he’s only played in 879 regular-season games despite being with the team for 20 years, basically. Undrafted out of college, he never made an NBA All-Star team. He’s only averaged 7.5 ppg and 6.8 rpg over his unique career, but Haslem got 3 NBA rings out of the experience with Miami: 2006, 2012, and 2013. His postseason stats (5.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg) are minimal, but the fans in South Beach love him.

No. 3: Alonzo Mourning, C—64.9 WS (1995-2002, 2005-2008)

He came to Miami after 3 years in the NBA, and he helped turn the franchise around with Hardaway. Despite injuries, he was a 5-time All Star with the Heat during his 2 different stints with the team. Mourning managed 16.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, and 2.7 bpg over 593 regular-season games with the team, and he won the DPOY vote twice (1999, 2000). In the playoffs, he was less effective, but he did get that ring in 2006.

No. 2: LeBron James, SF/PF—65.3 WS (2010-2014)

In just 4 seasons with the Miami franchise, James teamed with other stars to build a brief dynasty. Of course, he was an All Star all 4 years with the team, putting up 26.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 6.7 apg, and 1.7 spg in 294 games (all starts). Come postseason time, he averaged 26.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 5.7 apg, and 1.8 spg. He won the NBA MVP vote in 2012 and 2013 while also winning the NBA Finals MVP nod in both those years, too.

No. 1: Dwyane Wade, SG/PG—116.1 WS (2003-2016, 2018-2019)

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2003 Draft paid off handsomely for the Heat as he earned 12 straight All-Star nods as a Miami player (2005-2016). He was the Finals MVP in 2006 as the team surprised everyone with its first title, and like Haslem, he was a member of all 3 championship rosters. The stats? 22.7 ppg, 5.6 apg, 4.7 rpg, and 1.6 spg in 948 games and 22.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.6 spg, and 1.0 bpg in the 171 playoff games.