Soccer legend Neymar amazes Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler with wild free-throw shot

MIAMI – The Miami Heat are ready to hit the court for their first NBA Finals home game in nearly 10 years as the team gets ready to face the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 on Wednesday.

Many celebrities have shown support for the Heat as Jimmy Butler and soccer legend Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. were seen shooting around at the Kaseya Center on Tuesday.

Neymar put some of his soccer skills on display after going viral on social media for kicking a ball into the basket from the free-throw line.

Local 10 News also spoke with fans outside of the Kaseya Center who loaded up with Heat gear just hours before the big game.

“I could not be more excited because this is my very first Finals game ever,” said one Heat fan.

Local 10 News spoke with Heat Center Bam Adebayo who said he expects an energized environment when the team plays in their NBA Finals home opener.

“I’m expecting it to be, you know, every time we make a layup, free throw, or three -- it’ll be an avalanche of noise,” he said.

Local 10 News also spoke with fans that were at the Heat Team Store picking up their NBA Finals gear but will have to watch Game 3 from somewhere outside of the Kaseya Center due to the high-ticket prices.

“We wish to have tickets but (it’s) too expensive,” said one fan.

On Wednesday, SeatGeek.com listed tickets for Section 309, which is in the upper deck, at $600 each.

Fans looking to sit in the lower bowl in Section 107 will have to pay around $2,500 for each ticket, according to Vivid Seats.

Ticketmaster listed one pair of courtside seats at $75,000.

Tip-off at the Kaseya Center is set for 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Viewers can catch all the 2023 NBA Finals action right here on Local 10.

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About the Authors:

Annaliese Garcia joined Local 10 News in January 2020. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism. She began her career at Univision. Before arriving at Local 10, she was with NBC2 (WBBH-TV) covering Southwest Florida. She's glad to be back in Miami!

Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born in Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.