MIAMI — Bobby Portis officially became the newest member of the Miami Heat on Thursday, joining Giannis Antetokounmpo as one of the franchise’s major offseason additions.
Portis was introduced at Kaseya Center at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, while Antetokounmpo is scheduled to hold his introductory news conference at 3 p.m. as part of a major day for the Heat following one of the biggest moves of the NBA offseason.
Heat president Pat Riley welcomed Portis to the organization, highlighting his journey from Arkansas to becoming one of the NBA’s most respected frontcourt players.
“I always loved his game, right out of Arkansas to Chicago to Washington, New York, Dallas, and finally Milwaukee,” Riley said. “Prototype power forward, very versatile, score. As I mentioned, I think last year, led the league in double-doubles, coming off the bench and a hell of a player, and we’re very fortunate to have him part of our organization.”
Riley also joked about Portis’ new jersey number, 95, noting the forward drove from Milwaukee to Miami on Interstate 95.
“I like that number because it reminds me of a double-double somewhere along the way,” Riley said.
Portis, who is entering his 12th NBA season, spent the past seven seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he played alongside Antetokounmpo. He averaged 13.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game last season while shooting 48.8% from the field and 45.6% from 3-point range on 4.4 attempts per game.
The 31-year-old has also played for the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards and New York Knicks. The Heat is the fifth team of Portis’ NBA career.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Portis’ toughness and versatility fit what Miami wanted to add to its frontcourt.
“We feel like we bring a physicality and an edge to our front court, and that’s something that we’ve always wanted,” Spoelstra said. “Everybody’s talking about you need to have some size in the front court and positional size. We think we’ve checked those boxes.”
Spoelstra added that Portis’ ability to stretch the floor while also providing a physical presence makes him valuable in today’s NBA.
“He’s one of the best shooting bigs in the league,” Spoelstra said. “He’s a low post threat. He always has been. He’s a physical rebounder, like we said, and he’s also crafty in a lot of different pick-and-roll coverages defensively. So we think it fits the versatility, the toughness. It’s something that we wanted to address going into this offseason.”
Portis said he was grateful for the opportunity to join Miami and become part of the Heat culture.
“First and foremost, I just want to give a big shout out to the Heat organization for allowing me to be a part of this trade, allowing me to grace the culture,” Portis said. “I was born to be a hero, so it fits right in with me. My favorite team growing up, I just want to put that out there.”
Portis said he has continued to evolve his game throughout his career and takes pride in improving each offseason.
“Over time, as you grow in your career, you want to evolve your game each and every year,” Portis said. “I pride myself on working every day in the summer to get better, so the low post stuff is just like a treat that I can do and add to a team, especially coming off the bench.”
Portis joins a revamped Heat roster that now features a frontcourt rotation of Portis, Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. Riley said he believes the group gives Miami a versatile combination of size and skill.
“I think with Bam and Giannis and Nico and Bobby that we got a very potent power rotation that’s very versatile,” Riley said.
Antetokounmpo is scheduled to address the media at 3 p.m. Thursday. The two-time NBA MVP and NBA champion arrived in Miami after 13 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he became one of the league’s most decorated players.
Antetokounmpo has won two MVP awards, an NBA championship and NBA Finals MVP honors. He is a nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA selection and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020.
The Heat will hold its annual media day Sept. 28 at Kaseya Center before opening training camp Sept. 29 ahead of the 2026-27 season.
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