How Heat’s players-only camp in Los Angeles came together: ‘It was amazing’

The new-look Miami Heat opened training camp Tuesday morning at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. But Tuesday wasn’t the first time the Heat’s revamped roster took the court together for an extended workout.

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That came earlier this month when Heat captain Bam Adebayo and emerging leader Davion Mitchell organized a players-only retreat in Los Angeles.

“Me and Bam thought about where we wanted to go,” Mitchell said, with the Heat holding training camp at FAU’s basketball arena from Tuesday through Friday before opening its five-game preseason schedule on Saturday against the Toronto Raptors in Quebec City, Canada. “We felt like we needed to do something during the summer. And we were like, ‘Yo, we should do L.A. I think L.A. has everything that you kind of need.’ They have the facilities, got the food, got everything. We kind of coordinated together. We had some help, couple people from the outside, our agencies, everything that helped us, and we figured it out.”

It was a success, with essentially the entire roster able to take part in the four-day camp that included plenty of on-court basketball work and team-bonding activities. Even two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo left his home country of Greece earlier than usual to meet his new Heat teammates in Los Angeles just two months after his trade to Miami.

The only Heat standard contract players who couldn’t make it to Los Angeles for the team getaway were forward Simone Fontecchio and guard Tim Hardaway Jr.

“It was amazing. It was a lot of stuff,” Mitchell, 28, continued. “It was boats, golf, cooking, dinners. It was everything. It felt like kind of in the season in a way, because we’re going to be with each other no matter what. So we just took it upon ourselves just to be with one another.”

Heat newcomer Klay Thompson, who is known as an avid boater, especially appreciated the time on the water during the players-only trip to the West Coast.

“That boat day was awesome because when you’re offshore with no cell service, you just got to talk,” Thompson, 36, said. “You’re forced to socialize. So we were just playing dominoes, talking about whatever and just getting to know each other. It’s nice to feel human because we’re in the gym every day. So it’s nice to do activities together.”

While Mitchell has been a part of offseason players-only retreats before as a member of the Toronto Raptors, this marked the first time Adebayo has been a part of a team to host a players-only offseason camp since he was drafted by the Heat in 2017.

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“It was our first minicamp,” Adebayo, 29, said. “So me and Davion were still trying to figure it out as we went. But as far as getting everybody there and having everybody in one place where there are no coaches, we can kind of do our own thing. I felt like that was great for us just because it broke the ice with everybody. We’re not talking through coaches. We’re setting up table time, but it’s really around guys’ schedule. I felt like it was just an easy flow camp. We did stuff. Boating, golf, we had dinners to break the ice and get ahead on things. Instead of starting this bond in training camp, we started it earlier.”

But just because Heat coaches were not involved in the players-only camp doesn’t mean it was easy. Heat players began labeling the Los Angeles sessions as “pain camp.”

“I think it’s hilarious that we just started calling it pain camp,” Adebayo said. “I think that’s just hilarious. That might be the run on for our season. You might be hearing that a lot during training camp and the regular season — pain. Because you got to go through a lot of pain to get what you want. And I feel that’ll be that’ll be something we’ll hang on to.”

During the long grind of an 82-game NBA regular season, the Heat’s hope is this players-only getaway marks the start of a successful year after missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 2019.

“Just having the opportunity to go out there and be around the team in L.A., and do fun activities together and be able to just connect off the court, I feel like it’s very valuable for us as a team,” Antetokounmpo said. “Because we know that when you have a relationship and you’re able to have some downtime, play some cards, and you’re able to have a steak, have wine, and then you go into Game 67 in a cold city, let’s say. It’s going to be easier to go through that. Once we start facing adversity, once we start not playing well, you can go back to those moments to how we connected before the season.”

The Heat’s roster took the time to start building a connection before training camp. Now, that process continues.

“For any team, your team connection has to be your superpower,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That comes with time. It’s not overnight. But those are intentional things by a group and a locker room to want to do that. I think that first step is notable. Then the rest of it is earned through time and trust. Everybody has to be sincere about what we’re trying to do. We all have to be competent. We all have to get to a level where we’re producing where it’s inspiring the person next to you.

“I think when you start to do that, that’s when you really build a connection, when you really have that trust, when you know you can rely on the person next to you. That comes through competition. Getting to know each other helps. It really does. There are a lot of new faces. They’re getting to know us. We’re getting to know them. I want that to be organic. But the deep, deep connection will come through being there for each other through competition and knowing you can count on each other.”

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This story was originally published September 29, 2026 at 8:23 AM.