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Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (7) reacts while participating in the Heat Red, White & Pink intrasquad scrimmage game at Kaseya Center on Oct. 6, 2026, in Miami.<\/p>\n
Photo by Matias J. Ocner<\/p>\n
mocner@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo still hasn\u2019t played a game at Kaseya Center in a Miami Heat jersey. But Antetokounmpo has now played in a scrimmage at his new home arena in front of Heat fans after being traded to Miami this past summer.<\/p>\n
The Heat, starring Antetokounmpo, took part in its annual \u201cRed, White & Pink Game\u201d in front of fans on Tuesday night at Kaseya Center. Tickets for the scrimmage cost $10 each, with proceeds benefiting cancer care and research at the Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel good,\u201d Antetokounmpo said before Tuesday\u2019s scrimmage, addressing the Miami crowd during an in-arena interview. \u201cThis is my first time being out here with fans. … It\u2019s good to be on this side.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Heat, which opened its five-game exhibition schedule with a 129-105 win over the Toronto Raptors in Quebec City, Canada on Saturday, continues the preseason on Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans in Miami (7:30 p.m., WPLG Local 10).<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is amazing,\u201d Antetokounmpo said during his in-arena interview when asked about the meaning behind Tuesday\u2019s event. \u201cI\u2019ve been in the league for many years. This is the first time I\u2019ve been a part of something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s scrimmage consisted of four 10-minute quarters. Here are some observations from the intrasquad game:<\/p>\n
\u25aa Four players on the Heat\u2019s 21-man preseason roster were held out of Tuesday\u2019s scrimmage.<\/p>\n
Guard Pelle Larsson and forward Andrew Wiggins did not play because they were sick. Their status for Wednesday\u2019s practice is unclear.<\/p>\n
In addition, guard Dru Smith (right calf strain) and two-way contract forward Keshad Johnson (right hamstring strain) also remained out due to their respective injuries.<\/p>\n
\u25aa With those players out, the lineups to start the scrimmage looked like this.<\/p>\n
The Red Team opened with a lineup of Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Simone Fontecchio, Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.<\/p>\n
The White Team began with a lineup of Ryan Conwell, Tim Hardaway Jr., Myron Gardner, Nikola Jovic and Tim Hardway Jr.<\/p>\n
\u25aa As expected, Antetokounmpo received a loud ovation from fans throughout the night. The first one came when he walked on to the court for his pre-scrimmage shooting, the next one came when he was introduced by the Heat\u2019s new public address announcer Gale Nelson ahead of the scrimmage, andit continued when he opened the scoring Tuesday with a dunk.<\/p>\n
Antetokounmpo totaled 14 points, three rebounds, five assists and one block in the first half of the scrimmage. He didn\u2019t play in the second half.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel good,\u201d Antetokounmpo said during his in-arena interview on Tuesday. \u201cI\u2019m excited. I\u2019m motivated. I\u2019m working hard. I\u2019m locked in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u25aa This was an event for the fans and the players had fun with it.<\/p>\n
Very little defense was played and there weren\u2019t many fouls committed. There was an All-Star Game feel to the intrasquad scrimmage. But Antetokounmpo did block a Conwell layup attempt in the second quarter.<\/p>\n
\u25aa Adebayo totaled 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-11 shooting on threes and four rebounds.<\/p>\n
\u25aa Thompson, who was acquired by the Heat this offseason after agreeing to a buyout with the Dallas Mavericks, showed off his elite three-point shooting.<\/p>\n
Thompson scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting on threes in the first half. He did not play in the second half.<\/p>\n
\u25aa Hardaway, who was also acquired by the Heat this offseason in free agency, also flashed his quality outside shooting. He finished the scrimmage with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 shooting from three-point range.<\/p>\n
\u25aa Portis, who was dealt to the Heat as part of the Antetokounmpo trade, totaled 16 points and eight rebounds in the scrimmage.<\/p>\n
\u25aa Mitchell, who made it a priority to shed weight this past offseason, even completed a dunk in the first quarter of Tuesday\u2019s scrimmage.<\/p>\n
For perspective on how rare that is, Mitchell\u2019s last in-game dunk came during the 2022-23 season as a member of the Sacramento Kings.<\/p>\n
Mitchell closed the scrimmage with 14 points and nine assists.<\/p>\n
\u25aa Undrafted rookie guard Tre Donaldson, who is on a two-way contract with the Heat, also showed off his shot-making ability. He closed with a scrimmage-high 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field and 3-of-9 shooting on threes, six rebounds and four assists.<\/p>\n
Donaldson produced the highlight of the night, too, making Conwell fall to the ground with a crossover dribble in the second quarter of the scrimmage.<\/p>\n
\u25aa Conwell, who was acquired by the Heat in the second round of this year\u2019s draft, totaled 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field and 4-of-10 shooting on threes, two rebounds and four assists in the scrimmage.<\/p>\n
\u25aa With the event benefiting cancer care and research, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and players were each introduced ahead of the scrimmage alongside physicians, patients and survivors from the Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute.<\/p>\n
Spoelstra watched the scrimmage from a courtside seat alongside both of his sons.<\/p>\n
This story was originally published October 6, 2026 at 8:34 PM.<\/p>\n
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