Michael Baiamonte’s Retirement Marks a New Beginning for Miami Heat

In his 35 years, he has announced more than 1,500 Miami Heat games. He has also called six NBA Finals, including the Heat’s 2006, 2012, and 2013 championships.

Highlights in Last Season

Michael Baiamonte had quite the farewell tour in his final season. Back in February, the NBA honored his successful career by having him serve as the PA announcer for All-Star Saturday Night and announcing his iconic “Dos Minutos” at every two-minute mark of the games played in the NBA All-Star Tournament in Los Angeles.

On March 10, Baiamonte got to not only witness, but call Bam Adebayo’s historic 83-point game versus the Washington Wizards. This night broke many records in Miami Heat history, including most points scored in a game by a single player in Heat history, and most points scored in a quarter in Heat history (31).

Baiamonte considered the night “the biggest regular season game in my 35 years,” telling the Miami Herald, “I’m saying to myself, ‘Wow, this is just icing on the cake.’ It was phenomenal. I joked, boy, the team really pulled out everything they could to try to change my mind.”

He was officially honored by the Miami Heat on April 4 when the Heat celebrated “Mike B Celebration Night” in the 152-136 win versus the Washington Wizards. Tributes were given throughout the night, and Baiamonte was presented with gifts in a halftime ceremony.

The Final Call

The Heat ended their regular season with a record of 43-39. Despite their best efforts in the No. 9 versus No. 10 seed play-in game versus the Charlotte Hornets, the Heat fell short in overtime, losing 126-127. This loss marked their first time the Heat missed the playoffs since the 2018-2019 season.

Because of this, Michael Baiamonte officially had his final call in the 143-117 regular season finale versus the Atlanta Hawks. For his last two-minute warning, he started with “Dos” and had the fans finish with “Minutos!” To wrap up the end of the game, he was emotional as he wished the fans a safe drive home.

A New Beginning

Including Baiamonte’s retirement, the Miami Heat fans are going to see next season might be very different. For starters, Miami will be in the draft lottery for the first time since 2019. Their official odds have them at a 4.7% chance at a top-4 pick, but they will most likely receive the 13th pick with odds of 92.9%. The last time the Heat had the 13th pick was 2019 when they drafted Tyler Herro, who has since become a key piece in Miami. They also have the 41st pick, given as a result of the Terry Rozier situation.

In addition to the draft, the Heat could have a very eventful free agency. With Miami having an estimated cap space of approximately $64 million, star players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant (who’ve expressed interest in being elsewhere) could be potential targets for Pat Riley. Norman Powell could potentially be a big re-sign for Miami as well.

With Miami missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019, the Heat might look to reformulate their franchise as a whole. Whoever the new PA announcer will be will hopefully have the opportunity to call games for a reinforced Miami Heat looking to finally break the play-in tournament cycle once and for all.

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