Miami Heat have their new public-address announcer

BOCA RATON — Over the Miami Heat’s 39 seasons, the franchise largely has been an exclusive club.

The only coaches have been Ron Rothstein, Kevin Loughery, Alvin Gentry, Pat Riley, Stan Van Gundy and Erik Spoelstra.

The lone general managers have been Lewis Schaffel, Dave Wohl, Randy Pfund, Pat Riley and Andy Elisburg.

Yet when it comes to the team’s public-address announcers, the club has proven even more select, with only David Axelson and Mike Baiamonte to serve full seasons in that role.

Until now.

With Baiamonte retiring after last season, ending a 35-year run, a new voice is about to be unveiled, starting with Tuesday night’s intrasquad scrimmage.

Enter the baritone/bass intonations of Gale Nelson, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami and the Florida Keys and a self-avowed member of Heat Nation.

From a series of auditions, Kaseya Center now has a new, booming presence.

“When you’re given the opportunity, never to replace, but to continue a championship legacy, I was, first of all, humbled, honored to audition,” Nelson told the Sun Sentinel of stepping in for Baiamonte. “And when I went into that bowl and looked at the script and did a starting lineup and read some of the basic informative stuff for the fans, it was magical.”

As seemingly with all things Heat, the process was a grind.

“That led to repeat auditions and more invites back, a very tedious, thoughtful process,” said Nelson, who will continue in his role with Big Brothers Big Sisters. “But what I appreciate the most is Heat Culture, the standard. That I believe in wholeheartedly, because it fits my leadership style, which is put the work in and expect the results. And here we are, as the new voice of the Heat. Very humbled.”

And effusive — if not necessarily in a mic mimic of Baiamonte.

“I love a microphone,” Nelson said. “That’s what it’s all about. X’s and O’s are X’s and O’s. I’m the conductor. When I sit down and I give a little Bam Ah-dah-baaaaahy-oh! it’s about personality and swagger.

“The baritone is the standard and there will be no screeching, but I’m going to lean into the bass. I will lean into the energy, soulful at times, but always bringing the heat. That’s the best way I can describe it.”

As with the Heat, this is somewhat all new, with Nelson having not announced sports since his high school days in Ohio.

By the close of his tenure, Baiamonte had his trademark calls.

Nelson said he will arrive with some of his own, but also take an organic approach.

“The best teams, you always have a plan and I’m coming in with a plan,” he said. “But you have to always be open to audible, always be open to the feel. When it comes to that microphone, I want to feel the game, feel the heat.

“I’m coming in with a plan, but absolutely it won’t be scripted to the point where it has to be a certain way.”

With, though, at least one exception — when it comes to the final two minutes of each period.

“One of the things that we will absolutely keep, and I’ve had this conversation with the Heat, we’re keeping ‘Dos Minutos,’  ” Nelson said. “Because that’s embedded in the Heat brand. And so it transcends a person. It’s a part of the Heat culture. I’m not seeking to imitate Mike B. I respect him immensely. But I have to be Gale Nelson.”

With a master’s of science in Management and Administration of Educational Programs from Nova Southeastern University in Davie, the South Florida roots are real.

“My dad was a contractor. He came down here to rebuild, help rebuild, after Hurricane Andrew, came down from Oakland, California,” Nelson said. “And so I’ve been here 33 years. All my kids were born at Baptist Hospital on Kendall Drive.

“Running Big Brothers Big Sisters for 20 years, with our partnership with the Heat, that’s what’s great about the alignment.”