Ahead of Saturday’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Miami Heat owner Micky Arison took somewhat of a page from Heat President Pat Riley.
The main thing, Arison said, remains the main thing, mainly the team’s focus on securing the franchise’s fourth NBA championship in his 30-year stewardship.
“I would just say I’m appreciative and it is an honor, but not something that I . . . it was never a goal,” Arison said Friday during a Hall of Fame media session at the Mohegan Sun resort in Uncasville, Conn. “My goal, our goal, was to win championships, and I’ve been fortunate enough to win three. Our goal was to create a fantastic atmosphere in Miami.”
On a weekend when former NBA stars Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard will be inducted, along with former University of Florida and current Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, Arison said he appreciated that focus be placed on the faces of the game.
“Most great NBA players, obviously, this is a goal for them. Great coaches, this is a goal for them,” Arison said ahead of receiving his Hall of Fame jacket and Hall of Fame ring later in the day at the Enshrinement Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala. “It’s never been a goal for me. Despite that, I’m extremely appreciative and recognize it’s a tremendous honor.”
The ultimate honor will come with Saturday night’s induction in Springfield, Mass. That’s when Heat President Pat Riley and franchise icons Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade will be at his side as presenters, an honor reserved for those previously enshrined.
“They were three key elements to the history, to the 30 years,” said Arison, who took controlling interest in the franchise in February 1995. “Obviously Pat was with me from almost the very beginning. Zo, the first year. And really from there, the culture was created. And then Dwyane Wade helped take it to the top and obviously has been the greatest player in Heat history, with a statue on top of the steps. So I’m glad those three will be with me.”
During an appearance a day earlier on the Dan LeBatard Show, Arison stressed that chasing championships remains the primary quest.
“The goal, we’ve reached our goal three times and so I’d rather look forward to the fourth more than this,” Arison said of his induction. “But like I said, I’m very appreciative.”
Having spent his three decades atop the team’s hierarchy, Arison said the preference would have been to remain out of public view, instead of Friday’s mandatory media session.
“Excited? No, excited is not the word. I’m appreciative,” he said of Saturday’s honor at Springfield’s Symphony Hall. “It is an honor and so I’m appreciative. But it’s not what I love doing. Getting up and giving speeches, I don’t think I’ve given one in 25 years.”
The Heat initially were delivered to South Florida as an expansion team in 1988 by Arison’s father, the late Ted Arison. Micky Arison then took over managing control. He said he enters the shrine with the pride of franchise success.
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“Being competitive most years, winning more games than most franchises,” he said of his prime accomplishments with the team. “Coming from an expansion team, one of the youngest franchises, I think we set a pretty good record of achievement, which I’ll talk about in my speech.”
While Arison rarely has been public facing during his stewardship, Riley said there has been little doubt about who has been the franchise’s steward.
“I’m telling you. in the board room, he’s at the front of the room and he’s making the calls, from that standpoint,” Riley said. “But he gives the credit to everybody else. He doesn’t like to be out there, giving public speeches and stuff like that.”
This time, there is no choice, with Arison required to speak from a podium that Saturday also will feature fellow Class of 2025 inductees.
Inducted in 2008, Riley said he appreciates the weight of Saturday’s moment.
“I said, ‘You got to get ready for this one. Because I blew mine. And you don’t want to blow it. So if you’ve got seven minutes of something really good, try to memorize it,’ ” Riley said with a laugh. “I gave him some advice, some coaching. I haven’t said anything else since, because he said, ‘You say one more thing, you’re going to make me nervous.’
“I think he’ll be very prepared. He’s very, very humbled by this. He really is, and very appreciative of being nominated and also being selected.”