Nick Arison Named Miami Heat’s New CEO


Team owner Micky Arison’s son, Nick, has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer. Pat Riley, however, is still very much in charge of things. Reports the Sun-Sentinel: “The Heat announced Friday afternoon that it has promoted Nick Arison, 30, from Vice President of Basketball Operation to the team’s Chief Executive Officer. In the new role, the younger Arison will oversee the day-to-day operations of the franchise, and report directly to his father Micky, who will remain the team’s managing general partner. The team did not make anyone available to the media, but did release a statement, in which Micky says that his son is ‘more prepared for this job than I was at his age when I became CEO of Carnival.’ Micky’s father Ted founded Norwegian and Carnival Cruise Lines, and was a founding partner of the Heat. The statement also includes a strong endorsement from Riley, who calls Nick ‘an extraordinary, special young man who ‘has earned it.’ … [Nick Arison] joined the Heat as a team attendant, and served summer internships in arena operations, community affairs, sales and marketing, before becoming a full-time staff member on the business side in 2003. Before the 2008-09 season, he became the vice president of basketball operations, and was involved in the successful free agent recruiting of the summer of 2010. The man who led that effort — Riley — has announced his intentions to stick around a while longer, and Friday’s announcement should have no effect on that.”