Tony Fiorentino (born 1949) is an American television color commentator, most recently for the Miami Heat. [1] Fiorentino has been involved with the Heat organization since it entered the NBA, joining the team in 1988 as an assistant coach under Ron Rothstein. [2] [3] He also served as an assistant coach for the Heat under Alvin Gentry and Pat Riley, and later served as an assistant coach with the Heat's WNBA sister team, the Miami Sol. [1] He became the Heat's main television color commentator in 2004, replacing Mike Fratello. [4] On June 9, 2017, The Miami Heat announced that Fiorentino would call his 15th and final season as the team's television analyst. [5] On April 11, 2018, Fiorentino was honored in a halftime ceremony during the final regular season game against the Toronto Raptors. [6] Fiorentino remains with the team, serving as both a Miami Heat Ambassador and as the Director for the franchise's very popular summer basketball camp program. [5]
Fiorentino played college basketball at Concordia College in Bronxville, New York. He then coached high school basketball at Mount Vernon High School, where he got to know rival coach Ron Rothstein, a relationship which later helped him get an assistant coaching position for Rothstein on the Heat. He also had a stint as a college assistant at Iona. [7]
The Miami Sol were a professional women's basketball team that was based in Miami and entered the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 2000. They played their games at American Airlines Arena as the sister team to the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team folded after the 2002 season because of financial problems.
Jerry Darnell Stackhouse is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is the assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. Stackhouse played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was a two-time NBA All-Star. He was the head coach of Raptors 905 and an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies. Additionally, he has worked as an NBA TV analyst.
Hubert "Hubie" Jude Brown is an American retired basketball coach and player and active television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors separated by 26 years. Brown was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.
Udonis Johneal Haslem is an American former professional basketball player who is currently the Vice President of Basketball Development for the Miami Heat, where he spent his entire 20-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Haslem played college basketball for the Florida Gators, where he was a key member of four NCAA tournament teams. Haslem began his professional career in France with Chalon-sur-Saône and then signed with his hometown Miami Heat in 2003, becoming the longest-tenured player in franchise history. Haslem also won three NBA championships with the Heat.
Jamaal Dane Magloire is a Canadian former professional basketball player who currently serves as basketball development consultant and community ambassador for the Toronto Raptors. He played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, and Toronto Raptors. The 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), 265 lb center was selected out of the University of Kentucky by the Charlotte Hornets, with the 19th overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft, after withdrawing his name from the previous draft. He was voted into the NBA All-Star Game in 2004, becoming the second Canadian All-Star in NBA history.
Michael Robert "the Czar" Fratello is an American sports broadcaster and former professional basketball coach. He is currently a part-time analyst for Bally Sports Ohio for the Cleveland Cavaliers and a part-time color commentator for Bally Sports SoCal for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Stanley Alan Van Gundy is an American former basketball coach who is a television commentator for NBA on TNT and College Basketball on CBS. Prior to TNT, he was most recently the head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the NBA. He also served as the head coach and president of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons from 2014 to 2018. From 2003 to 2005, he was the head coach of the Miami Heat but resigned in 2005 mid-season, returning the job over to Pat Riley. Van Gundy then coached the Orlando Magic for five seasons from 2007 to 2012, leading them to the 2009 NBA Finals. He is the older brother of former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Scott Christopher Williams is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 6' 10", he was capable of playing as a power forward or a center. Early in his professional career, Williams earned three NBA Finals rings as he contributed off the bench during the Chicago Bulls' first three-peat championships from 1991–1993. He developed into a front-court reserve during his fifteen seasons in the NBA, where he was known for his hustle and strong defense. Since his retirement, Williams has coached in the NBA Development League and NBA as well as commentating for a variety of NBA teams. Williams is currently the color analyst for the Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball team.
Ronald L. Rothstein is an American former professional basketball coach and college basketball player, who has led many different NBA teams. He served as the first head coach for the Miami Heat, and later coached the Detroit Pistons. He has also coached in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 2007–08, he also filled in for Pat Riley as an interim coach for the Heat.
Vernell Eufaye "Bimbo" Coles is an American retired professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Virginia Tech Hokies and won an Olympic bronze medal as a member of the United States national team in 1988. He received his nickname from a cousin in reference to a country music song of the same name.
Edward Lewis Pinckney is an American former professional basketball player.
The 1988–89 Miami Heat season was Miami's inaugural season in the NBA. The Heat were the first of two expansion teams to play in the state of Florida over a two-year period, and along with the Charlotte Hornets, joined the NBA in 1988. The team revealed a new primary logo of a red basketball on fire going through a hoop, and got new uniforms adding red and black to their color scheme.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the fourth season of the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Heat had the fifth overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft, and selected Steve Smith out of Michigan State, and hired Kevin Loughery as their new head coach after the resignation of Ron Rothstein prior to the start of season. The Heat got off to a fast start winning seven of their first ten games, but lost 8 of their next 9 games along the way. After holding out most of the 91–92 season only playing in just five games, the Heat traded Sherman Douglas to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Brian Shaw. The team held a 23–25 record at the All-Star break, as Loughery coached the Heat to their first ever playoff appearance in franchise history, as they finished fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 38–44 record, winning a tie-breaker for the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference over the Atlanta Hawks.
The 1995–96 NBA season was the eighth season for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association. The Heat had the tenth overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected Kurt Thomas out of Texas Christian University. Under new head coach, and team president Pat Riley, the Heat would be restructured. On the first day of the regular season, which began on November 3, 1995, the team acquired All-Star center Alonzo Mourning from the Charlotte Hornets. With the addition of Mourning, along with the off-season acquisition of Rex Chapman from the Washington Bullets, the Heat won 11 of their first 14 games, but then lost 23 of their next 34 games, holding a 22–26 at the All-Star break.
The 1997–98 NBA season was the tenth season for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Heat signed free agents Eric Murdock, three-point specialist Terry Mills, Todd Day, and acquired Duane Causwell from the Sacramento Kings. However, after only playing just five games for the Heat, Day was released to free agency after criticizing how head coach Pat Riley ran the team. Despite Alonzo Mourning missing the first 22 games of the season due to an off-season knee injury, and Jamal Mashburn only playing just 48 games due to a thumb injury, the Heat continued to play strong basketball as backup center Isaac Austin filled in the void as the team's starting center in Mourning's absence. Mourning would eventually return as Austin was traded at midseason to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Brent Barry, as the Heat posted a 13–2 record in February, including a ten-game winning streak between February and March, and holding a 30–17 record at the All-Star break. The Heat finished first place in the Atlantic Division with a 55–27 record.
The 1994–95 NBA season was the seventh season for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Heat had the twelfth overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft, and selected Khalid Reeves from the University of Arizona. During the off-season, the team signed free agents Kevin Gamble, Ledell Eackles and Brad Lohaus. Before the season started, Heat management decided to start pulling the plug on their core that dated back to the franchise's first season in 1988–89. It started by trading Rony Seikaly to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Billy Owens. Miami then proceeded to trade Steve Smith and Grant Long to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kevin Willis after the first two games. Despite the addition of Owens and Willis, the Heat stumbled out of the gate losing seven of their first eight games. After holding a 17–29 record at the All-Star break, head coach Kevin Loughery was fired, and replaced with assistant Alvin Gentry, as the Heat finished fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 32–50 record.
The 1992–93 NBA season was the fifth season for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the 1992 NBA draft, the Heat selected Harold Miner from the University of Southern California with the twelfth overall pick. During the off-season, the Heat acquired John Salley from the Detroit Pistons. However, the team got off to a sluggish 10–25 start as they were bitten by the injury bug, with most notably second-year guard Steve Smith missing the first 31 games of the season with a knee injury. Meanwhile, Kevin Edwards only played just 40 games, and was benched after starting in 30 of them, and Willie Burton only played just 26 games due to a wrist injury. The team held an 18–31 record at the All-Star break.
David Sean Fizdale is an American professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was an associate general manager for the Utah Jazz, an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, the head coach for the New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies, and was an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat. He won two championships with the Heat in 2012 and 2013.
Dan Craig is an American professional basketball coach who serves as a lead assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He served in various coaching staff roles for the Miami Heat between 2003 and 2015 before joining the Sioux Falls Skyforce as their head coach for the 2015–16 season and guiding them to their maiden D-League championship. Craig returned to coach the Heat for the 2016–17 season.