As Heat opened camp Tuesday, Giannis addition still ‘surreal.’ And other notes from Day 1

Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has been working in the Miami Heat’s facility for the last few weeks, but Tuesday marked his first official practice in a Heat uniform.

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“Everybody came into camp ready, prepared, in shape,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the team’s first training camp session Tuesday at Florida Atlantic University’s basketball arena. “So we were able to get right to it today. That’s what they wanted. They wanted some hunger games. They wanted to get after it. We were able to do that right away.”

While Antetokounmpo didn’t speak to reporters following Tuesday’s morning session in Boca Raton, his new head coach and teammates offered some insight on how the team’s first practice with Antetokounmpo went.

“It was a great Day 1,” said Heat captain Bam Adebayo, who began his 10th Heat training camp Tuesday. “Get it all out, finally get it in training camp, get it going. That’s what it’s about, competition.”

The Heat sent Tyler Herro, Kasparas Jakucionis, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware and a haul of draft capital to the Milwaukee Bucks to land Antetokounmpo and veteran forward Bobby Portis this offseason.

Along with Antetokounmpo and Portis, the list of new faces on the Heat’s revamped roster also includes future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson, 2026 second-round selection Ryan Conwell, veteran guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and veteran center Nick Richards.

“It’s surreal, still, seeing them battle against each other, battle with each other,” Spoelstra said of watching Antetokounmpo and Thompson practice in a Heat uniform for the first time. “And I’m sure it is also surreal for them, being in a different uniform, being in a different environment, a different culture. We want to be open to them and their experiences, and we want them to be open to us as well, and the possibilities of how we do things. Eventually we’ll blend cultures and create our own with this group.”

Thompson, who is entering his 14th NBA season, labeled his first Heat training camp practice as “very hard.”

“It’s surreal being here, but it’s everything I expected,” Thompson, 36, said. “Highly competitive, tiring, organized and high intensity.

“I feel very gratified to get through Day 1. It was everything I envisioned. I see that coach Spo took everything he did from Mr. [Pat] Riley.”

After Tuesday’s practice, Adebayo took advantage of Antetokounmpo’s presence by battling against him in the post during some 1-one-1 drills.

“Man, it’s been awhile since we had bigs that can bump like that,” Adebayo said of Antetokounmpo, who was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2019-20 season “It’s a good way to sharpen your skills. If we guard each other in practice, we’re going to make each other better for the game.”

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The Heat will hold training camp at FAU from Tuesday through Friday before opening its five-game preseason schedule on Saturday against the Toronto Raptors in Quebec City, Canada.

“We know what the deal is,” Spoelstra said. “That’s the good thing about this training camp. There’s great clarity on why we’re here, and we don’t have to overtalk that. It’s understood. We mentioned it last night in our meeting, and now it’s just about getting to work and putting it in our system.”

This and that

▪ Spoelstra has already been impressed by the amount of work Antetokounmpo puts in behind the scenes.

“That’s not fake,” Spoelstra said. “He’s been putting in the time all summer long, and I think he’s in an environment where that’s matched by a bunch of other guys in the gym. We have a very ambitious, hard-working group. They want to put in the time. They’re not afraid of getting in the gym. Guys are getting in extra workouts before practice, after practice. I think that’s an environment that will inspire everybody.”

▪ Thompson said Conwell, 22, has already beaten him in a three-point shooting drill.

“I was a little upset by that,” said Thompson, who ranks fourth in NBA history in all-time threes made. “But I was very impressed with Ryan’s defense today. He picked up full court, he’s in phenomenal shape, he’s got a beautiful lefty jumper, and I told Ryan just to stay with it.”

▪ After attempting a career-high 5.5 three-point attempts per game last season, Adebayo expects to again put up a lot of threes this upcoming season while playing alongside Antetokounmpo.

“Absolutely,” Adebayo said when asked Tuesday whether the three-pointer will again be a big part of his offensive game this season. “Yeah, you’ve got somebody generating that much gravity. At that point, as long as you get the ball, just shoot it. Take the thinking out of it.”

▪ The Heat announced Tuesday that it signed developmental guard Lester Quinones. Miami signed Quinones to an Exhibit 10 contract, which likely has him heading to its G League affiliate after the preseason.

With the addition of Quinones, the Heat’s roster is at the preseason maximum of 21 players. Miami is expected to soon make roster cuts to cycle through other Exhibit 10 signings this preseason, such as guard Dennis Smith Jr. and forward Ezra Ausar.

Most Exhibit 10 players are cut before the start of the regular season and transitioned to that respective team’s G League affiliate. After they’re waived, those Exhibit 10 players can get up to a $91,000 guarantee if they spend 60 days with that G League team.

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This story was originally published September 29, 2026 at 2:22 PM.