3) Alonzo Mourning

Alonzo Mourning’s worth to the franchise can neve be measured by what he’s done solely on the court.

Zo is where the real Heat fans start leaning forward in their chair. Because Zo isn’t just a “great player.” Zo is the foundation underneath the house everybody else is arguing about.

Pat Riley’s Heat needed a face that matched the philosophy: hard-nosed, defensive, no-nonsense, you’re-not-coming-in-here-playing-cute basketball. Zo was that. He was the “fine, we’ll win ugly” era. He was the reason the Heat became the Heat and not just “a team in Miami.”

And for the younger generation that only knows Zo from “Vince Carter dunked on him” clips, let’s correct the record: Zo was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. That’s not nostalgia. That’s hardware. That’s history. That’s “your entire offense is canceled” energy. There’s a reason Heat-Knicks became a street fight every time: Zo was built for that.

Also, Zo is beloved in Miami in a way that’s almost spiritual. That man wasn’t a rental. He wasn’t a cameo. He was a pillar. You don’t get to say “three Heat players better than Zo” unless you’re comfortable admitting you don’t understand the franchise’s roots.

*With Miami, Zo was a 5x All-Star, 2x-All NBA, 2x DPOY, 2x All-Defense Team, 1x Champion