The <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/miami-heat">Miami Heat</a> have won three <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/nba">NBA </a>championships in the 21st century, the most recent being in 2012-2013 when LeBron James was still part of the franchise along with other stars like Chris Bosh and <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/dwayne-wade">Dwyane Wade</a>. Pat Riley was the president of the franchise at the time.



It’s been more than 10 years since the Miami Heat won an NBA championship, but they have lost two finals in the past four seasons, which indicates that they are still a competitive team even without LeBron James.



Pat Riley doesn’t get all the credit for the Miami Heat’s success. Erik Spoelstra, who has been the head coach since 2008, has also played a key role in the team’s growth.



<h2>Who is the player who carried Miami Heat according to Pat Riley?</h2>



According to Pat Riley, the player who carried the Miami Heat was Dwyane Wade. Riley said at the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony that Wade “carried our franchise” and “brought so much to our organization.”



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">"He carried our franchise…he&apos;s bought so much to our organization." Hall of Famer and Heat President, Pat Riley gives Dwyane Wade his flowers 👏 <a href="https://t.co/Cze8iDqxX0">pic.twitter.com/Cze8iDqxX0</a>— NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1690505690815606784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Pat Riley has won a total of nine NBA championship rings, most of them as a head coach between 1982 and 2006. He has two rings as president of the Miami Heat and one as a Lakers player.

NBA: Pat Riley reveals who carried the Miami Heat, not LeBron James

NBA: Pat Riley reveals who carried the Miami Heat, not LeBron James - Bolavip US

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Pat Riley is not only the president of the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/miami-heat">Miami Heat,</a> but he is also a legend among head coaches and players. He has won a total of nine <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/nba">NBA </a>championships, mostly as a head coach and executive.



His personal awards and career highlights make him one of the few people who can rightly say who is the best player in the history of the Miami Heat.



Any fan could point to <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/lebron-james">LeBron James</a>, who certainly left a legacy and important stats during his years playing in Miami. However, other players who were by his side are also considered top players.



<h2>So, who is the best player in Miami Heat history according to Pat Riley?</h2>



According to a recent interview with Brady Hawk for Five Reasons Sports, Riley named Dwyane Wade as the best player to have played for the Miami Heat. He said, “Dwyane is the greatest player that ever played for the Heat, and that’s not an insult to LeBron.”



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="422" height="252" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20230809_BUS_43124_brady-hawk-miami-heat-pat-riley-lebron-dwade.webp&amp;width=422&amp;height=252" alt="" class="wp-image-43147" srcset="https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/brady-hawk-miami-heat-pat-riley-lebron-dwade.jpg 422w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/brady-hawk-miami-heat-pat-riley-lebron-dwade-300x179.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 422px) 100vw, 422px"></figure></div></figure></div>



Riley also praised Wade for helping him get to the Hall of Fame. He said, “He helped me become a Hall of Fame guy. I love him dearly, I just do.” Riley also remembered the 2006 Finals, when Wade led the Heat to a championship, and said, “He was the greatest player on the planet.”

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NBA: Pat Riley picks the best Miami Heat player, not Lebron James - Bolavip US

NBA: Pat Riley picks the best Miami Heat player, not Lebron James

The <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/miami-heat">Miami Heat</a> defied the odds this season by making the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/nba">NBA</a> Finals as the #8 seed in the East. In the end, however, it became clear that the team lacked another star next to <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/jimmy-butler">Jimmy Butler</a> and Bam Adebayo.



Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets were too much for Erik Spoelstra’s men, who did a very decent job but were unable to challenge The Joker and company. That’s why many expect the Heat to chase another star this offseason.



Bradley Beal is no longer a possibility, so the player everyone is turning their attention to is Damian Lillard. Team president Pat Riley, however, may have poured cold water on the possibility of bringing more help for Jimmy Buckets.



<h2>Pat Riley can’t confirm Heat will land another star for Butler</h2>



“I would like to try to get him more support,” Riley said, via Via 5 Reasons Sports. “But right now, it’s on his shoulders. And that happens with a lot of great players. I would like to pick the perfect complement to him, but it’s not that easy.”



This may not be what Heat fans want to hear, since the belief in South Florida seems to be they’re just one star away from getting the job done next time. “We’re not going to take a wrecking ball to this thing,” Riley added.



However, we’re still talking about one of the smartest executives in the league here. After all, there’s a reason they call him The Godfather. So maybe it’s true the Heat won’t make much changes, or perhaps Riley wants to keep a low profile before making a big move. Either way, Butler looks grateful with those who helped him carry the Heat to the Finals.






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“Proud of our guys this year,” Butler said on Instagram. “As we always try to achieve our goals, I think it’s very important not to lose sight of the journey and all the great times we had together as a unit this year. Love my guys… appreciate y’all.”

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NBA Trade Rumors: Heat may not bring more help for Jimmy Butler - Bolavip US

NBA Trade Rumors: Heat may not bring more help for Jimmy Butler

<a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/los-angeles-lakers-lebron-james-doesnt-think-his-team-can-catch-up-with-contenders-20220209-0009.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LeBron James</a> has undoubtedly cemented a legacy in the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/nba-best-small-forwards-of-all-time-20210207-0002.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA</a> and he continues to write history every season he plays in the league. However, it would be safe to say that his career took off when he joined the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/dwayne-wades-shocking-revelation-on-chasing-nba-rings-with-lebron-james-in-miami-heat-20211125-0029.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami Heat</a>.
After many years with the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/nba-rumors-this-is-why-lebron-james-and-kyrie-irving-didnt-get-along-in-cleveland-20220204-0013.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleveland Cavaliers</a>, LeBron packed his bags in 2010and moved to South Beach to set up a mighty ‘<a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/nba-big-three-every-team-best-trio-since-2000-20200804-0002.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Three</a>‘ with <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/miami-heat-udonis-haslem-opens-up-on-his-role-in-heatles-era-with-lebron-wade-bosh-20211027-0032.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh</a>. Unsurprisingly, the switch paid off as he won <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/how-many-nba-rings-does-lebron-james-have-20200928-0013.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the first two rings</a> of his career.
The Heat, however, couldn’t make it three in a row and lost to the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/nba-finals-all-nba-champions-by-year-20210701-0003.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">San Antonio Spurs in 2014</a>. That year, LeBron hit the free agency and returned to Cleveland, a move that didn’t sit well with Pat Riley for a long time. However, the Heat president nowlooks at it differently.
<h2>Heat president Pat Riley says LeBron James did ‘the right thing’ in returning to Cavs in 2014</h2>
For years, it seemed that things between <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/Ranking-the-top-40-of-LeBron-James-teammates-from-worst-to-best-NBA-20200527-0001.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James</a> and Riley were bad after the All-Star left Miami. But the Heat executive recently toldJoe Vardon and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic that he understands why LeBron went back to the Cavaliers.
“I thought it was the most normal thing for him to do,” Riley said. “Somewhere in your life, you have to clean up something and be able to move on. I always felt that even after he left Cleveland and came to Miami for professional reasons, he’s going to have to go back to his hometown one day, or he’s going to have a scarlet letter on him for the rest of his life.
“So that’s a pretty damn courageous thing that he did and selfless thing to go back to Cleveland, to rebuild that team. Had he never done that, there was a possibility that he’d have a hard time being accepted there. He did the right thing.”
Eight years later, it seems there are no hard feelings for his decision. And that’s the best thing to do. After all, LeBron should be remembered for the great things he did in his four years in Miami, wherehe played a key role in <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba/dwyane-wade-not-sure-heat-would-have-won-more-rings-if-lebron-james-had-stayed-20211224-0020.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two memorable championships</a>.
 
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Pat Riley - Page 2

NBA: Pat Riley reveals who carried the Miami Heat, not LeBron James

NBA: Pat Riley picks the best Miami Heat player, not Lebron James

NBA Trade Rumors: Heat may not bring more help for Jimmy Butler

Heat president Pat Riley changes his mind on LeBron James' move to Cleveland in 2014