Rumors

The @Indianapolis Indians are hosting “T.J. McConnell Night” on Aug. 27 at Victory Field. They are the AAA affiliate of his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates. He’ll throw out the first pitch and there will be special theme entertainment throughout the game. (Autographs from 5:30-6:10pm)

bsky.app

Fitch Ratings, which evaluates the debt of the league, published a ratings note Monday that disclosed the latest sale. Fitch rates the new debt as A-, meaning a low risk of default on its AAA to D scale of best-to-worst bond ratings. On June 7, the NBA sold one note to raise $70 million and another to raise $38 million; at the same time, it upsized an existing secured senior revolving credit line by $21 million. According to Fitch, that puts the league debt at $6 billion, of which $4.3 billion is through Hardwood Funding and $1.7 billion is the revolving credit line through an entity named Basketball Funding.

Sportico

In accordance with an NBA league-wide mandate, the Milwaukee Bucks will require all fans seated within 15 feet of the court at Fiserv Forum to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of the game. Locations within 15 feet of the court are all courtside seats located in rows AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD. These fans will also be required to wear face masks while in their seats. Fans can show their vaccine card, or a photo of the front and back of it, when entering Fiserv Forum to prove they’re fully vaccinated. Fans can also provide their negative COVID-19 test result by showing an electronic copy of the result, or a paper copy, upon entry into the arena.

NBA.com

The Miami Heat’s home will likely soon have a new name. If the NBA approves a new deal, the AmericanAirlines Arena, also known as the “Triple-A” or AAA, will be the FTX Arena until 2040. The change in naming rights is part of a $135 million deal that Miami-Dade County commissioners approved on Friday.

Local 10 Miami

Anthony Chiang: The Heat will have about 100 family members and team/player guests at tonight’s game against the Bucks. Although no set date yet on when fans will be allowed at AAA again, this is a small step forward.

Twitter

Anthony Chiang: Erik Spoelstra on Miami-Dade rejecting Heat's request to make AAA a voting site: "We're just going to strategize, recalibrate, figure out what step we can take from here. That's with or without the county. It's just really disappointing that that's the decision they made."

Twitter

Anthony Chiang: As @Tim Reynolds first reported, a source confirms the Heat is now targeting Wednesday, at the earliest, for a reopening of their AAA facility to players for voluntary workouts.

Twitter

Anthony Chiang: Video messages from Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul for Dwyane Wade just played on the AAA video board.

Twitter

Anthony Chiang: Heat announces Dwyane Wade's three-day celebration. Feb. 21: Tribute event for Wade at AAA. (Season Ticket Member-only event, but broadcast live on TV and radio) Feb. 22: Wade's jersey will be retired at halftime of Heat-Cavs Feb. 23: Debut screening of Wade documentary at AAA

Twitter

Anthony Chiang: Erik Spoelstra says Goran Dragic (sick) will not play tonight. Jimmy Butler is at the AAA and is preparing to play.

Twitter

Anthony Chiang: It's Kid's Day at the AAA. Heat players lined up for anthem with their kids. That includes Erik Spoelstra, who was holding his son.

Twitter

Manny Navarro: #Heat have a special card for Rodney McGruder on Opening night here at the AAA.

Twitter

Surya Fernandez: "Reminds me of Shawn Kemp, at least physically." Pat Riley said he thought when watching Bam work out at AAA.

Twitter

Austin Grams: Hopefully NBA can improve D-League contracts, too much talent slipping to Europe, D-L needs more talent to be true AAA. / Steve Kyler: Asked about a dozen guys if D-League offered $80-$90K vs $120K in Europe, all said D-League - call-ups/close to home.

Twitter