MIAMI – The Miami HEAT hosted its 11th Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration this past Sunday, October 23rd. Presented by Mountain Dew and supported by Florida Blue and FOX Sports Sun, the celebration involved a special pre-show on the XFINITY East Plaza, including entertainment from the HEAT Experience. Following the pre-show, Miami HEAT players and talent hosted a basketball clinic for children in the Tamiami Youth Basketball (TYB) league in the HEAT Practice Facility.
Tamiami Youth Basketball, Inc. is a 501(c)3 not for profit corporation that is committed to serving the South Florida community through basketball. The league is home to over 800 girls and boys ranging from ages 5-17 making them the biggest Independent Basketball League in South Florida. TYB uses basketball as a conduit to promote the importance of academics, teamwork and good sportsmanship. This event also coincides with the second annual Jr. NBA week that began on October 17th and runs through October 26th. Jr. NBA Week includes national and local events designed to build awareness and excitement for the Jr. NBA and team youth basketball initiatives.
Miami HEAT Dancers, HEAT Mascot, Burnie, and the Xtreme Team were also in attendance.
Uptown Dale, In-Arena host of the HEAT, emceed the event, which included the following representatives:
– Jose “La Voz” Paneda Miami HEAT Spanish Radio Broadcaster / Senior Advisor, Hispanic Broadcasting and Marketing
– Luis Lopez del Castillo Marketing Manager, SE Region, Pepsi Beverages Company
– Penny Shaffer Florida Blue Market President
– Oscar Farinas Tamiami Youth Basketball President
