Michigan’s gift to Miami: Six of the 25 best players in Heat history are from Michigan
October 23, 2012 in Professional
The state of Michigan has several ties to the Miami Heat franchise. As the team celebrates its 25th year in existence, here are the Michiganders who cracked the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s list of the 25 best Heat players of all-time:
23. Voshon Lenard (Detroit)
“Len-ard!” bellowed Jack Ramsay over the airwaves. Many forget his impact on some very good rosters.
22. Dan Majerle (Traverse City)
Five seasons with the Heat; all five seasons in the playoffs. A contributor even when barely ambulatory.
17. P.J. Brown (Detroit)
If Alonzo Mourning was Pat Riley’s ultimate warrior, then Brown was a close second on that list. He made clear every moment on the court that he cared.
13. Grant Long (Romulus)
Hustle has been valued since the franchise’s inception, with Long the first to show that effort can find a way in the NBA.
10. Steve Smith (Detroit)
A combo guard who found greater success elsewhere, but whose silky NBA game first took hold at Miami Arena.
8. Glen Rice (Flint)
During the lean times, there always was the rainbow possibility of another Rice 3-pointer. One of the franchise’s first stars, arriving when needed most.
Majerle also talked to Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel about Heat history:
And when Riley called Majerle in the 1996 offseason during free agency, he jumped at the opportunity to join something he believed could become special.
“That’s what a guy like Riles does,” Majerle said. “He brings instant credibility to any organization, wherever you go. It doesn’t hurt that Miami is a great city and it would be a good place to play. But you throw in a guy like Coach Riley, who has a reputation and has the credentials that he has, he’s going to get good players.”
Subscribe to the BallinMichigan RSS feed, like BallinMichigan on Facebook and follow @BallinMichigan on Twitter.
