5 Great NBA Players You Forgot Played for the Miami Heat
Based in South Beach, the Miami Heat is a preferred destination for many NBA players. Prized free agents LeBron James and Chris Bosh famously joined the team in 2010, forming the "Big 3" with Dwyane Wade, while other legends like Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning were acquired via trade and thrived in Miami. There have also been rumors that Chris Paul and Damian Lillard wanted to orchestrate trades to the Heat at various points in their careers.
Because of the city's vibrant nightlife and culture, combined with the Heat's reputation as a consistent championship threat, it's no surprise that Miami has featured some of the best players in modern NBA history. Most fans won't have trouble remembering the likes of James, Bosh, and Wade in Heat jerseys, but many might struggle to recall these players donning the team's signature colors.
Jerry Stackhouse
An 18-year veteran and two-time NBA All-Star, Jerry Stackhouse was a productive starter and bench player at different points during his career. Selected third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1995 NBA Draft, he finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in the 1995-96 season, finished top-15 in MVP voting in 2000-01 and 2001-02 with the Detroit Pistons, and was top-five in Sixth Man of the Year voting in three consecutive seasons with the Dallas Mavericks from 2004-05 to 2006-07. He played 970 career regular season games with eight teams.
Stackhouse's shortest tenure was with the Heat. After playing half of the 2009-10 season with the Milwaukee Bucks, he signed with the Heat the following offseason but played just seven games before being released. He averaged just 1.7 points and 1 rebound in 7.1 minutes per game. Stackhouse played 67 games over the next two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets before retiring. He is currently an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors.
Penny Hardaway
A four-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA guard and small forward who played his best basketball with the Orlando Magic, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway played just 16 games with Miami during his final season in 2007-08. Hardaway earned each of his four All-Star selections in Orlando and, while he was productive during his tenure with the Phoenix Suns from 1999-00 to 2003-04, was never the same after suffering a knee injury in 1997.
Hardaway unofficially retired after spending the 2005-06 season with the New York Knicks. He didn't play the following season and signed with Miami before the 2007-08 season. Hardaway averaged just 3.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game during his brief stint in Miami before being cut in December. He considered another return two seasons later, reportedly interested in the idea of playing with the "Big 3," but Miami wasn't interested.
Amar'e Stoudemire
The ninth overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, Amar'e Stoudemire was a key contributor with the Suns during the "Seven Seconds or Less" offense era alongside Steve Nash, Joe Johnson, and Shawn Marion, the latter two of which also had brief stints in Miami. Stoudemire, a 6-foot-10 forward from Florida, won Rookie of the Year in 2002-03 and was a five-time All-Star with the Suns. He earned his sixth career All-Star nod in 2010-11 in his first of five seasons with the New York Knicks, but regressed over the next few seasons due in part to injuries.
Stoudemire ended his career with the Heat, averaging 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 52 games with the team during the 2015-16 season. He played several seasons in Israel before officially retiring in 2020 after winning a championship with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Lamar Odom
Unlike others on this list, Lamar Odom played in Miami during the peak of his career, but it's largely forgotten since he is mostly associated with Los Angeles. A 6-foot-10 forward from Jamaica, New York, Odom was selected fourth overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1999 NBA Draft and spent five seasons with the team. He also played seven seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
After his first four seasons with the Clippers, Odom signed with Miami as a free agent in the summer of 2003. He averaged a career-best 17.1 points in 80 games with the Heat during the 2003-04 season, but Miami traded him the following offseason to the Lakers in a trade package for O'Neal. The deal worked out for all parties involved as Miami won its first NBA title in 2005-06 and Odom won titles in back-to-back years with the Lakers in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
Manute Bol
A 7-foot-7, Manute Bol shares the record for tallest player in NBA history with Gheorghe Mureșan. Selected by the Washington Bullets 31st overall in the 1985 NBA Draft, Bol led the league in blocks with 5 per game as a rookie and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He played 624 career games, including at least 160 each with the Bullets, 76ers, and Warriors.
Bol played just eight games in Miami during the 1993-94 season. He signed with the team in October and was released the following January. Bol was on the court for just 61 total minutes during his brief stint with the Heat.