Miami Heat general manager and executive vice president of basketball operations Andy Elisburg had a crucial role in the squad’s front office during its two Finals runs earlier this decade.
Elisburg’s name has been getting mentioned more than usual lately in light of a trying summer he had from a personal standpoint. Because of infections all over his body that were negatively impacting the function of both his liver and kidneys, he ended up having part of one of his feet amputated.
“When we got to the hospital, I was a mess,” Elisburg said. “I’ve got an infection in my foot, an infection in my back, infection in my knee, infections throughout my body. It’s affecting my liver, affecting my kidneys. My kidney level was basically at dialysis level. There were a lot of things that were really wrong, and they began a bunch of surgeries.”
The genesis of Elisburg’s medical struggles over the last several months can be traced back to the latter stages of Miami’s 2024-25 campaign, as he was diagnosed with an infection in his foot.
It didn’t take long until Elisburg’s foot infection exacerbated into something a whole lot more concerning. For the lion’s share of the month of May, he underwent surgeries on his back, knee and foot to try to remedy infections in those parts of his body.
With Elisburg dealing with health issues, the likes of team president Pat Riley, assistant general manager Adam Simon and senior director of basketball operations Dave Beyer took on additional work at the beginning of the offseason.
Elisburg was cleared to return home all the way back in July, though he’s in a wheelchair and still participates in physical therapy sessions anywhere between four and six days per week.
In light of all of the health scares he faced during the offseason, Elisburg is not expected to be traveling on the road with Miami, though he would like to attend the majority of the team’s home contests at Kaseya Center.
Hopefully, after all that Elisburg endured across the last several months, he will be in good health throughout the coming 2025-26 season and be able to focus on the well-being of the Heat. It’s possible that Miami could turn some heads in the Eastern Conference if its offseason additions show out and members of its young core take steps forward.