MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James stood atop a doubledecker bus with a cigar in his mouth for the parade, then kissed the championship trophy when the party moved indoors. Shane Battier blew kisses to the crowd, Dwyane Wade raised three fingers aloft and Chris Andersen flapped his arms in a nod to his “Birdman” moniker.
By now, the NBA champion Miami Heat have figured out how to enjoy a party.
Players, families, staff members and friends crammed buses, flatbed trucks and cars for the parade honoring the latest Heat championship, with the caravan snaking its way through downtown Miami. An estimated crowd of 400,000 turned out on a hot, steamy morning where the heat index reached the mid-90s by 11 a.m.
Several players held supersoaker squirt guns and sprayed water on fans below, confetti blew through the air and dotted the streets, and bands blared as the team rolled past with horns honking. Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and team president Pat Riley stood in the front of one bus, while Spoelstra — his championship cap turned backward
— waved and clapped at fans, and Wade pointed at people along the route.
Wade said that without the fans, Miami wouldn’t have found a way to win the title.
“It’s humbling. It’s very humbling to be here,” Wade said, gazing out at the enormous crowd. “I envision a lot of things. I can’t say I envisioned this. This parade down Biscayne Boulevard was once a vision by Coach Riley and now we’ve taken this ride three times. It’s special.”
When Riley got hired by the Heat, he talked at his introductory news conference about his vision of a parade down Biscayne Boulevard. It took Riley until 2006 to deliver on that hope, but now with three parades in eight seasons, the Heat are getting used to these celebrations.
“Their names are going to be respected and honored,” Riley said. “And that’s all we have. All we have is the name on the front of the shirt, which is the Heat, and the name on the back of the shirt. And that’s why we play.”
Miami became the sixth franchise in NBA history to win consecutive championships, after topping the San Antonio Spurs in this year’s final.
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