Heat players have contributed to March Madness
MIAMI — The madness in March in the NBA is reserved for playoff positioning.
But for many of those who have made it to this level, it is about their shining moments, the NCAA Tournament in many ways defining their careers even before their first step on an NBA court.
Over the Heat’s first 30 seasons, many brought their madness to South Florida (including several who previously wore Duke colors).
Throughout this 30th-anniversary season, the South Florida Sun Sentinel will look back at three decades of the Heat, at the men and the moments that have made this an exhausting, exhilarating and enduring ride.
Today, we look at the Top 10 March Madness moments from Heat players.
10. Juwan Howard
Howard never won an NCAA championship to go with his two NBA titles with the Heat, but statements were made in each of his three NCAA Tournaments after arriving as part of Michigan’s Fab Five Freshman class. There was a loss to Duke in the title game as a freshman in the 1992 tournament, a loss to North Carolina in the 1993 championship game on the night of Chris Webber’s call for a timeout his team did not have, and then a loss to Arkansas in the Elite Eight in the 1994 tournament. He played for the Heat from 2010-13, and is now an assistant coach with the team.
9. Justise Winslow
Winslow’s lone season at Duke resulted in the 2015 national championship. He averaged 14.3 points and 9.3 rebounds during the NCAA Tournament. He was named to South All-Regional team and then led Duke with nine rebounds in the national-championship victory over Wisconsin. He was selected with the No. 10 pick by the Heat in the 2015 NBA draft.
8. Wayne Ellington
There were NCAA Tournament disappointments along the way for Ellington at North Carolina, losing to Georgetown in the East Regional final as a freshman and then to Kansas in a national semifinal game as a sophomore. Ellington then weighed the NBA draft before returning for what proved to be a 2009 national championship with the Tar Heels, when he shot 7 of 10 on 3-pointers in the Final Four and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. He joined the Heat as a free agent in the 2016 offseason.
7. Billy Thompson
After losing to Houston in the national semifinals in his freshman season at Louisville in 1983, the athletic forward would eventually win the NCAA championship in 1986. He then joined the Los Angeles Lakers as a firstround pick that year, going on to win 1987 and ’88 titles with the Lakers under Pat Riley, making him one of four players to win NCAA Tournament and NBA championships in consecutive years (also Bill Russell, Henry Bibby and Magic Johnson). Thompson played for the expansion Heat from 1988 to ‘91. He now serves as one of the team’s pregame chaplains.
6. Shane Battier
The defensively gifted forward led Duke to Final Four appearances in 1999 and 2001, with the Blue Devils losing the championship game to Connecticut in ’99 and then defeating Arizona in the ’01 title game, with Battier named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. If not for a blown 17-point lead in the 1998 regional final to Kentucky, there would have been a third Final Four appearance. He played for the Heat from 2011 to 2014, winning NBA championships in 2012 and ’13. He now serves as a Heat executive.
5. Shabazz Napier
The UConn point guard not only was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2014 Final Four in leading the Huskies to that championship, but also was part of Connecticut’s 2011 championship team. It made Napier one of only three players to win national championships both as a freshman and senior. The 2011 title came with Napier helping engineer victories over Michigan State, Florida and Kentucky. He played for the Heat in 2014-15, and is now a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.
4. Ed Pinckney
The 1985 tournament is known for what is considered perhaps the greatest championship-game upset ever. It was Pinckney who contributed 16 points and six rebounds in Villanova’s stunning 66-64 victory over Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas. Pinckney was named was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. He played for the Heat in 1996-97, the final season of his NBA career, later serving as the team’s radio and television analyst. He currently is a Timberwolves assistant coach.
3. Glen Rice
Rice not only led Michigan to the 1989 NCAA championship, but set an NCAA Tournament record with 184 points during the Wolverines’ march through the bracket. Rice was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. His postseason performance changed what had been a projection in the middle of the first round of the NBA draft to the No. 4 overall selection by the Heat. He played for the Heat from 1989 to 1995 and now is a scout and community ambassador for the team.
2. Mario Chalmers
For all that the future Miami Heat players achieved in the NCAA Tournament over the years, none had a moment as meaningful as Chalmers. With 2.1 seconds remaining in the 2008 championship game against Memphis, the Kansas guard converted a 3-point shot that forced the game into overtime, with the Jayhawks winning their fifth national title and Chalmers emerging at the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. The Heat then traded for Chalmers’ secondround rights on draft night. He played for the Heat from 2008 to 2015, and is now playing for the Memphis Grizzlies.
1. Christian Laettner
The pesky, somewhat annoying forward won national championships with Duke in 1991 and ’92, and was named Most Outstanding Player of the 1991 Final Four. His one shining moment came in the 1992 regional final against Kentucky, when he swished a winning jumper as time expired. In addition to his two titles with the Blue Devils, he was part of Duke’s national runner-up team as a freshman and lost in the national semifinals as a sophomore, appearing in 23 out of a maximum 24 NCAA Tournament games during his collegiate career. He played for the Heat in 2004-05, in his final NBA season.