The 10 Greatest Heat players in history, ranked by Player Efficiency Rating (PER)

9. Tim Hardaway - 19.0

A cornerstone of the Heat’s most successful stretch to that point in the franchise’s history, Tim Hardaway helped fuel multiple playoff runs alongside Alonzo Mourning from 1996 to 2001. 

Hardaway was traded from Golden State, where he started his career and was a three-time All-Star, to Miami mid-way through the 1995-96 season. Knee injuries had plagued Hardaway in his final years in Golden State, but he bounced back in Miami, where ended up making two more All-Star games and finished fourth in MVP voting in 1997. 

Of course, the Heat never made it past the conference finals in Hardaway’s years, but they did make the playoffs in six straight seasons – still a franchise record (tied with 2008-2014).

Under Pat Riley, Hardaway and Mourning laid the groundwork for what would become Heat Culture and an organizational philosophy to bring stars to Miami.