Gilbert Arenas recently took a wild look at the Miami Heat, saying their cheerleaders are some of the most exciting in the league.
The former star point guard appeared in an interview with VladTV and covered a variety of topics, including cheerleading.
“There are only a few teams that have good enough cheerleading that you want to take them seriously,” she says. “You got Miami, Atlanta.”
A three-time All-Star implies that players of his time enjoyed watching Heat cheerleaders perform during timeouts.
“No one asked for waiting time in Utah to see the dancers,” added Arenas. “Miami, you call the timeout just to see how it performs. Like, ‘Oh wait a minute, time’s up, let’s see.’”
Even roughly a decade after retiring from the NBA, Arenas continues to make headlines for his comments.
Some of his recent remarks might come across as derogatory, given that he has somewhat objectified the dancers. Of course, the performers don’t only present as eye candy for the players. They are tasked with getting the crowd excited and further increasing their team’s advantage at home.
Over the years, Miami has enjoyed dominance on its home court for several seasons. This season, the Heat have not been dominant at home, but they do have a winning record (11-8) in those games. Having a subpar road record (8-10) resulted in a mediocre standing for Miami.
The Heat are only 19-18 with nearly half of the 2022-23 regular season finished. Their record has them sitting at No. 7 in the East Region. If the postseason starts today, Miami will be fighting for its life in play-in tournaments to try to make the playoffs.
Hopefully, things will get a lot brighter for the Heat. Fans hope the team will continue to rise in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Heat are currently one of the hottest teams in the conference, having won seven of their last 10 games.
However, the next series of squad games may prove challenging as they will feature fights against multiple competitors. Over the next few weeks, Miami will face the likes of the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.
