It Was A Rough Week For The Term "Heat Culture"

The Miami Heat's motto of "Heat Culture" is either the most loved or hated in the NBA

It really just depends where you live.

This week, the Heat released their City Edition jerseys and unveiled a new court design for the In-Season Tournament. Both drew the ire of some fans and media across the country.

The website Deadspin went far as posting an article titled, "Enough With Heat Culture."

"While the jerseys are annoying self-congratulatory, at least the idea was creative," the article stated. "The court, however is over the top."

No Dunks Inc, a popular podcast for The Athletic, also took a shot at the Heat's mantra. To be fair, they also poked fun at the Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors.

Here's what was said on the show geared toward the new jerseys: "You know the worst one is the one that says Heat Culture. Why won't you guys just slap "Live, Laugh Love" on it. Who goes, `Yo, this is our team slogan, this is what we're known by? And this is going to be our jersey?' What are we doing?"'

When the City Edition jerseys were first leaked, the @NoDunksInc crew wasn't impressed.

Their theory? Someone at NBA headquarters is out to troll fans. pic.twitter.com/QqGNfa8kGK
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) November 8, 2023

Heat fans shouldn't take offense. Most of this stuff is just plain fun. And they can always fall back on this. During the same week of criticism, LeBron James described Heat Culture as, "They've done it the right way for years."

That sounds like a fair tradeoff.

LeBron James On Heat Culture: "They've Done It The Right Way For Years"

Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat, a Fan Nation channel for Sports Illustrated. He has covered the NBA since 2010.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

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