Michael Jordan said it best, “ The ceiling is the roof.”
The Miami Heat plan to blow the roof off the AmericanAirlines Arena this NBA season with the return of their “Vice Nights” City Edition uniform however they raised the roof with the addition of their new “Vice Basketball Court.”
It starts with the uniform.
The Miami Heat formally unveiled its “Vice Nights” City Edition uniform. Vice Nights is the sequel to last season’s enormously successful Vice campaign. The Vice Nights uniform is black with the classic Heat silhouette from 1988 colored in laser fuchsia and blue gale and features the original Miami Arena script across the chest and a reimagined Heat ball and flame logo sporting the Vice Nights color combination. The uniform was designed in-house by Miami Heat Graphic Designer, Brett Maurer, and inspired by Heat history and the city of Miami in the 1980s.
Maurer’s design was arguably the best City Edition uniform in the NBA last season. However, the availability for fans was at a high demand. There were instances after season end where fans waited to receive back ordered jerseys until the summer. Nike and the Heat admit the unexpectedly high demand for Vice jerseys last season and deliveries were delayed. They learned their lesson.
“There won’t be the same kind of issues from a delivery standpoint that we experienced last year with the uniforms due to production,” Heat chief marketing officer Michael McCullough said. “Now, fans will be able to come right into the store, in any of our store locations, and walk right out with the jersey. Or if they buy it online, they will be able to have normal shipping expectations, which was not the case last year.”
With the expectation of getting your hands on Vice campaign swag, The Heat will debut the new look Friday when it takes on the Pacers at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami is scheduled to wear the new Vice uniforms in 15 games this season — Friday vs. Pacers, Saturday vs. Wizards, Monday vs. 76ers, Nov. 18 vs. Lakers, Nov. 20 vs. Nets, Nov. 27 vs. Hawks, Nov. 30 vs. Pelicans, Dec. 2 vs. Jazz, Dec. 4 vs. Magic, Dec. 20 vs. Rockets, Dec. 22 vs. Bucks, Feb. 23 vs. Pistons, Feb. 25 vs. Suns, Feb. 27 vs. Warriors, and April 7 at Raptors.
Expect the jersey of Dwyane Wade to be in high demand. The 13-time NBA all-star and three-time NBA Champion is expected to retire at the end of the season.
“They are dope,” Wade said. “I can’t wait for everybody to go out and purchase them, I get an opportunity to rock them when we rock them, so it will be cool.”
The Heat is holding a Midnight Madness event at AmericanAirlines Arena, which is set to begin at 12:01 a.m. on Friday. Fans at the event will have a chance to be the first to purchase “Vice Nights” merchandise, including jerseys, and to experience
The swag was so last season. This season, the team will be playing on the new “Vice Basketball Court.” And like the uniforms before it, the court includes elements from the original design of the Miami Arena from 1988. The Miami script and double-stroke motif are the die-hards, the court as a whole is for the history books. The Heat have played on one court design since the AmericanAirlines A
“It’s not just the jersey, but to be able to go all in, all the way around. That makes it even more of a special night when we get the opportunity to get on the court,” Wade said. “I think it’s going to bring some excitement to even the players. So it will be cool to the fans, definitely, to come in and feel a different environment, a different vibe.”
The team has launched a website,http://Heat.com/ViceNights to showcase this season’s Vice campaign illustrating digital elements of the campaign including photography, video, upcoming promotions and activities and much more.
