Goran Dragic, who retired recently, had a farewell game this past weekend in his hometown of Slovenia. Known as “the dragon,” Dragic had a stellar NBA career during which he established himself as one of the Miami Heat’s greatest point guards ever. Throughout his stay, the Heat received All-Star type production from him due to his enthusiasm, competitiveness, and ability to create for both himself and others.

Chris Bosh briefly appeared on the court during the outing in some outside news pertaining to the game. In a basketball game, he made his first basket from the free throw line since 2016. During that 2015–16 season, Bosh—another legend of the Heat—suffered a devastating illness that ended his career. He discussed his grieving process after being forced to resign in an interview with European Basket News:

Grief is a natural emotion that arises whenever one deals with death, loss, and similar situations. I moved past it. I think it strengthened me. It helped me concentrate on becoming a better father. A few titles were won by me. I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people and have some amazing teammates, stories, and locker rooms. I consider myself fortunate.”

Regretfully, Bosh passed away from blood clots before he could have a fitting farewell. The 2014–15 season was his first encounter with the sickness, and the following year he recovered. However, the illness returned once more, keeping him out of action for the entirety of the second half and postseason in the 2015–16 campaign.

A third return effort was planned for the 2016–17 season, but like the warrior he is, his health wouldn’t allow him to report to training camp. Bosh also discussed not getting the well-earned sendoff for his career with Basket News:

Since I haven’t performed in a while, I wasn’t going to play today, but I really simply wanted to be there to support Dragic as he celebrates his career. Not everyone has the opportunity to do this; occasionally, you don’t even get to say goodbye.”

– Chris Bosh

Bosh spent six years in South Beach and was an All-Star every year. He was an 11-time NBA All-Star. 2012 and 2013 saw him win back-to-back titles with the team, which included the historic season-saving rebound that set up Ray Allen’s game-winning 3-pointer.

Across 53 games played in his final NBA season (2016), he averaged 19.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on 46.4% shooting. As the third seed in the Eastern Conference, Miami would have been well-positioned to make a deeper playoff run than they did without him had he not been injured that year. Along with Hassan Whiteside, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, and Dragic, he completed a well-balanced starting five.

Not enough attention is paid to Bosh’s sacrifice upon joining the Big 3 alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

His No. 1 jersey for the Hall of Famer will always be in the Heat rafters. However, his abrupt retirement served as a reminder, more than ever, to never take anything in athletics for granted.

Miami Heat players are denigrated in the most recent NBA 2K25 player rankings.

NBA 2K has been one of the most played basketball video games since November 10th, 1999. The gaming community took notice of it right once due to its incredible graphics and gameplay.

The 2K creators were very skilled at drawing in the casual viewer. Some of the Hall of Fame greats who have adorned the cover of 2K over the years to give charm or aura to the game are Allen Iverson, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant.

But this has nothing to do with the attractive covers. It has to do with NBA 2K’s persistent contempt for the star tandem of the Miami Heat. It is necessary to address this issue. In NBA 2K25, Jimmy Butler is predicted to score an 89, while Bam Adebayo registers an 88.

The Miami Heat’s star duo is undervalued in the most recent NBA 2K25 player ratings. Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler both deserve higher rankings.

Butler’s rating fell off a cliff after 2K24, when it was classified at a 95. This athlete, who averaged 27 points, seven rebounds, and six assists during the playoffs, had just finished an incredible run. His outstanding performance got the Heat into the NBA Finals.

Butler earned a 95 rating in 2K after a fantastic 2023 playoff performance. Just Giannis Antetoumpo (97 in 2K25), Jalen Brunson (93), Jaylen Brown (92) and Jayson Tatum (95) had been surpassed by him. Due to injury, Butler was unable to duplicate this playoff run and was forced to skip the whole 2024 postseason. This emphasizes the necessity of a player rating system that considers more than just a player’s availability or his team’s performance.

Jimmy’s poor play during the regular season may have contributed to his injury during the playoffs, don’t you think? It’s a fair assumption, but not so. When talking about 2K ratings, one could claim Jimmy had a stronger regular season this year.

Butler has never received a high 3-point shooting rating. On 2K, he often operates at a 70–75 clip. Prior to the 2023–24 regular season, Butler’s three-point percentage was always under 40%. However, he did shoot 41% on a low volume last year. His outside scoring metrics on 2K should have climbed enough with the spike in shooting to at least maintain Butler’s 90 overall.

Although it’s only one rating difference, the 90 club holds significant value, and Butler’s performance this year is comparable to that of previous year. In ’24, he participated in 60 regular season games, and in ’23, 64. Just never got the chance to show off his superiority throughout the postseason.

The Heat are finally starting the season healthy, and Butler is in his contract year (hopefully). Watch for Butler to have a 2K rating of 90+ at the end of the season.

That Bam Adebayo wasn’t the Heat’s best player in 2K25 is perplexing to me. South Beach is officially in the Bam Adebayo era, and the ratings ought to show it.

In the long run, it doesn’t matter if Bam ranks higher or lower than Jimmy; at the very least, Bam ought to be a 90 overall. Bam is a member of this unique club.

The previous season, Adebayo scored an 88. Is 2K really saying that Bam never got better? Every skill 2K was previously proficient in should have been somewhat improved. Although Bam was already a superb defender, this was his most award-winning defensive season. In the end, he was chosen for the first team All-Defense. Though Bam led Miami to its best defensive-rated season in the Bam era, awards aren’t everything.

A season ago, Bam perfected his three-point shooting. When he scored that game-winning touchdown in Detroit, he removed the training wheels, sending Midwesterners into a frenzy. Many were shocked that the large player, who had not tried a three point shot during the entire game, drained a massive one to break their hearts.

LE GAME WINNER AU BUZZER DE BAM ADEBAYO 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Fhgkmd8FQP

— STEPBACK (@StepBackfr) March 17, 2024

Fans in Detroit witnessed the start of Bam’s self-assured stroke. After the All-Star break, he shot 45% from three point range to finish the season. They’ll see this year, but 2K most likely felt the volume was too low to increase his 3-point rating. In 2K24, Bam received a 3-point rating of a F; by April, he should have moved up to a C+.

When talking 2K, his sole weakness was shooting. He outpaces other big men in speed, locks down every position, dunks everything thrown at him, makes midrange jumpers, handles the ball better than other big men, and is a dangerous player on rebounds. With the enhanced deep ball on top of it all, a 90 should have been possible at the very least. It’s alright, though. As usual, Adebayo will wake up the sleepers.