When you advance the ball down the court, good things tend to happen. Caleb Martin connects with fellow Miami Heat 2021-22 addition Kyle Lowry to catch a long pass in midair and pulls off a nearly impossible, up-and-under alley-oop finish off the high glass. Martin did solid work off the bench with nine points and four rebounds in Miami’s 118-115 victory on November 6, 2021.

Caleb Martin

Caleb Martin soars through paint to catch and convert alley-oop up-and-under

When generational stars align, good things happen. Taking note of third-year teammate Dwyane Wade battling to keep a transition attempt alive, veteran superstar Shaquille O'Neal charges down the court, gets the jump on his defender then soars through the air to slam home a long-distance alley-oop. The 2006 NBA All-Star would go on to drop 21 points in just 27 minutes of work against the Cleveland Cavaliers as the eventual champion Miami Heat cruised to a 28-point victory on February 2, 2006. 

Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal finishes alley-oop off halfcourt lob from Dwyane Wade

Crafty scorers put the ball in the basket, whatever it takes. Checked at the elbow in his first NBA contest, Jaime Jaquez Jr. gets his defender to bite with a pump fake, then lasers in on the cup and finishes the play with an acrobatic reverse layup. The first-year wing went a perfect 3-for-3 in his Miami Heat debut on October 25, 2023, adding two dimes and two steals in the process.

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. slices through D for acrobatic layup in first game

Miami Heat breakout star Bam Adebayo flexes his defensive skills with a big-time block against the Atlanta Hawks on October 29, 2019.

Bam Adebayo

Bam Adebayo leaps through paint to spike dunk attempt out of bounds

With the grab and the dish! Miami Heat forward Jae Crowder collects the rock before throwing the bounce pass to teammate Tyler Herro for the pretty reverse layup to extend the Miami Heat's lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on October 4, 2020.

Jae Crowder

Jae Crowder bounces outlet pass up court in 2020 Finals

The Miami Heat were playing without their top three scorers — but they still had Kyle Lowry on their side. With only seven healthy players against the Washington Wizards, the Heat needed their veteran point guard to empty the tank and he was happy to oblige. The six-time All-Star drives with determination into the lane, sidesteps a couple of defenders then rises up on the baseline to drain a 19-footer over the much taller Kristaps Porziņģis. Though they’d ultimately come up short, Lowry’s 24 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists, two blocks and a steal kept the Heat in the fight on November 18, 2022.

Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry sinks baseline fadeaway over taller defender in triple-double

When you pose the threat that Jimmy Butler does, defenses have to react. The result? Wide open opportunities for those creative enough to spot them. After drawing multiple defenders into the paint on a spinning drive attempt, Butler leaps through under the hoop and slips a pass out to the corner for a Duncan Robinson three. Butler did it all in the Miami Heat victory on November 6, 2023, racking up 28 points, six assists and a pair of steals.

Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler spins through paint to set up shooter in the corner

Tyler Herro played 175 regular season games over his first three seasons without recording a triple-double. It took him but a dozen in Year 4 to finally check the milestone off his list. The Atlanta Hawks had no answers for the Miami Heat guard, who shows off his connection with teammate Bam Adebayo as he drives straight into the paint before lofting a high-arcing alley-oop pass that gets slammed home with authority. Herro recorded 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, helping the Heat to a 106-98 victory on November 27, 2022.

Tyler Herro

Tyler Herro lobs underhanded alley-oop in first career triple-double

Driving into the trenches to take on two stellar defenders isn’t easy — and that’s just the way Jimmy Butler likes it. Butler came up huge in the clutch against his former team as he converted an acrobatic reverse layup despite being sandwiched between Joel Embiid and P.J. Tucker. The clutch shot gave Butler’s Miami Heat a one-point lead with less than two minutes to play and ensured the Philadelphia 76ers would never lead again. The six-time All-Star made 9 of 14 shots for a team-high 23 points while adding 11 rebounds, nine assists and four steals in his team’s thrilling 101-99 win on February 27, 2023. 

Jimmy Butler pirouettes into the paint for unbelievable circus shot

In less than four seasons, Gabe Vincent has made the transition from undrafted free agent to indispensable rotation member. Stepping into the starting lineup for the short-handed Miami Heat, Vincent’s shiftiness gives the Milwaukee Bucks nightmares as he pump fakes his way into a favorable one-on-one matchup before finishing with a stepback three-pointer. Vincent poured in a career-high 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting while also chipping in three rebounds, six assists, two steals and five triples in Miami’s gritty 108-102 victory on January 12, 2023.

Gabe Vincent

Gabe Vincent steps back into three-pointer against mismatched defender

The NBA is better with a healthy Victor Oladipo on the court. The two-time All-Star has battled injuries the past couple of seasons but looks like his old self with the Miami Heat, blowing right by Kelly Olynyk on a drive to the hoop before taking flight and unleashing a thunderous slam over skilled shot-blocking rookie Walker Kessler. Oladipo was a spark plug off the bench for the Heat, chipping in 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and four three-pointers during a 35-minute run in Miami’s 126-123 victory over the Utah Jazz on December 31, 2022. 

Victor Oladipo

Victor Oladipo smashes poster dunk past Walker Kessler

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler ties the game with a clutch three-point dagger against the Atlanta Hawks on December 10, 2019.

Jimmy Butler drains game-tying three in triple-double masterpiece

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Caleb Martin

Shaquille O'Neal

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Bam Adebayo

Jae Crowder

Kyle Lowry

Jimmy Butler

Tyler Herro

Jimmy Butler

Gabe Vincent

Victor Oladipo

Jimmy Butler