MIAMI — For 35 years, Miami Heat public address announcer Michael Baiamonte has had a front-row seat for some of the most jaw-dropping performances in the legendary careers of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning and other Hall of Famers.
But on March 10, about a month before his planned retirement from the team, Baiamonte was on the mic for something he’d truly never seen.
“When I arrived at Kaseya Center that night, never in a million years did I think I was going to be talking about somebody scoring 83 points in a game,” he told The Athletic, still in awe at Bam Adebayo scoring the second-most points in a game in NBA history. “Some careers, you may never see something like that.”
If you’ve watched Heat basketball, you know Baiamonte’s voice. His well-known “Twooo minutes … Dos!” is called as each quarter reaches its two-minute mark. Road opponents cringe when he drags out “Toooo many steps!” when referees signal traveling. Down the stretch of games like Adebayo’s big night, Baiamonte instructs Heat fans to, “Staaaand up! And make some noise!”
It’s all part of something Baiamonte learned early in his career: He can be “part of the show.” And as Adebayo climbed toward history, he played his part.
“You want to give it the proper respect. At the same time, I don’t want to say I give encouragement, but I want to show my appreciation, which I think the fans hear,” he said. “And that allows them to kind of spark that momentum to give — in that case, that night — Bam even more enthusiasm to show their appreciation and say, ‘Keep going, big fella.’”
So, if that was the send-off, it was a special one. It remains unclear if Sunday’s home tilt against the Atlanta Hawks will be Baiamonte’s last game. The Heat are locked into a Play-In Tournament spot, but it’s single elimination, and they seem likely to start on the road. Should they find a way to book more home games, Baiamonte’s retirement will be temporarily stalled.
That certainly wouldn’t be unwelcome for Heat players and coaches.
Tyler Herro, Miami’s second-leading scorer since being drafted 13th overall in 2019, said Baiamonte’s voice is a trademark of the franchise.
“He’s got that signature voice,” Herro told The Athletic. “Since I’ve been a rookie, you know, me, my family, my kids, everyone goes, ‘Tyyy-ler Herro for threeee!’ That’s his thing he kind of made. I remember, going back to high school, that’s like the first time I’ve had someone announcing my name and sh– like that. I would always hate when the backup would come in and announce my name. And I feel the same way about Mike.”
Heat assistant coach Caron Butler, who spent the first two seasons of his NBA playing career in Miami, places Baiamonte among the most distinguishable voices in league history because of his distinct baritone and attention to detail.
“He did a remarkable job at the pronunciation of your name,” Butler told The Athletic. “I never heard it like that — using the syllables and everything. Him and the guy from Detroit yelling out ‘Detroit basketball’ was just always iconic. To hear those individuals say your name in the (home) arena, it just felt super elite and special.
“I think the connection is crazy because it’s almost like a synergy. It’s a wave and vibe that only that player and that announcer know. When you see a bucket go in or a momentum swing, it’s like a cue.
“When God made him, he threw away the mold. He’s special.”
Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jaime Jaquez Jr. says Baiamonte’s replacement “is going to have some pretty big shoes to fill.”
And Adebayo, Miami’s captain, partially credits his hottest shooting stretches to Baiamonte.
“Nine years of hearing ‘Dos minutos,’” Adebayo said. “It’s going to be different. When I get a momentum bucket, and the other team calls a timeout, and they hear my name (from Baiamonte), it’s definitely an energy booster.”
Born in Louisville, Ky., in 1962, Baiamonte’s family moved to Springfield, Ill., then New Orleans before settling in Miami by the time he was 10. He played high school basketball at Gulliver Preparatory in Coral Gables, Fla., about a half-hour drive from Kaseya Center, but a torn ACL pivoted his basketball career from the court to the mic.
Before he earned his stripes in hoops, however, he was a rookie elsewhere: in a pro wrestling ring.
In the early stages of Baiamonte’s professional career, he spent two years as a ring announcer for the World Wrestling Federation for matches in the Miami-Dade and Fort Lauderdale areas.
In 1982, six years before the Heat’s first game and toward the end of Day 1 as a WWF ring announcer, the 7-foot-4, 520-pound Andre the Giant shouted down toward a 20-year-old, 6-foot-2 Baiamonte as part of a planned routine for when the heavyweight lost matches.
“I was scared to death,” Baiamonte said. “I’ve got this giant man in my face. My first night on the job. He’s yelling and screaming at me.
“So, the night ends, and I make my way backstage. And I’m stopped by the promoter at that time, a former wrestler by the name of Pat Patterson. And Pat Patterson stops me and says, ‘Can I talk to you for a minute?’ And I figured, ‘Oh, boy. I really messed up. I’m getting fired, for sure.’”
Patterson explained the wrestler’s intended bit: When Andre The Giant wouldn’t get his way, he’d grab the ring announcer by their suit’s lapels and lift them — kicking feet and all — over his head. Patterson told Andre The Giant to avoid the gimmick because it was the budding announcer’s first night with the company.
“Andre the Giant comes up to me backstage, shakes my hand, and his hand devours mine,” Baiamonte said. “In his French accent, he said, ‘I’m so sorry if I scared you. I hope you’ll come back and be our ring announcer at our next event.’”
That’s when Baiamonte learned his “part of the show” lesson.
“It’s better that I don’t know what they want to do, so that my reaction is genuine, and just be ready for whatever may happen in that ring with wrestlers,” he said. “Just be ready because these guys may come and interact with you, and if they do, you need to show a genuine reaction.”
Baiamonte learned to take those lessons from the wrestling ring to the basketball court.
On Feb. 21, 1990, during Miami’s second season, Baiamonte abruptly stepped in for a Heat-SuperSonics game because the full-time announcer was unavailable. The next day, he was offered the permanent backup job. By the 1991-92 season, he was Miami’s full-time announcer. His career in corporate America with American Bankers Group ended in 1999 as his Heat tenure kept leveling up.
Heat general manager Andy Elisburg, who, during his time as Miami’s assistant director of public relations, offered Baiamonte that full-time job, noticed Baiamonte’s attributes and how much energy he brought.
“You know how much he cared,” Elisburg told The Athletic. “It always felt, when you were listening to it, like you were listening to someone who cared the way you did and brought that passion to it. And every call brought that enthusiasm, like he totally surrendered to the moment. … It was genuine. You can’t fake that. You can fake it for a period of time, but you can’t fake it for 35 years.”
Baiamonte’s “Dos minutos!” call is one example of a nod to the multicultural community he learned to speak hoops with and to over the years.
“I think we started doing ‘Dos Minutos’ 20 years ago,” Baiamonte said. “It came out of a production meeting where the point came up, “Hey, half our season-ticket member base is Hispanic. Can we do something?
“So, we started just talking about ideas, and I said I think we want to do something easy and simple that everybody would understand, whether you know a lick of Spanish or not — everybody knows uno, dos, tres. You learn that in pre-K. So, as I thought about that, I said, you know, the game of basketball is made up of a lot of numbers … I didn’t want to drop something in Spanish every time we scored. That’s a lot of baskets. What if I’m required, every quarter — four times a game — to let everyone know we’re in the last two minutes? Because the rules change a bit. So, while the call is mostly for referees and teams, what if we included the fans in it by repeating it?”
As Baiamonte tossed the idea into the think tank, his game producer had a better idea: What if he yelled, “Two minutes!” and then, the fans scream, “Minutos!”
The idea took off.
It’s echoed during some of the biggest games in basketball history. He’s used it at NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte and Los Angeles. Parents have even explained to him how the call doubles as a bedtime signal for their kids.
Now headed toward retirement, who knows, maybe Baiamonte can someday use it with his newborn grandson.
“I’m looking forward to this next chapter for the two of us and with our family,” Baiamonte’s wife, Natalie, told The Athletic. “A lot of people have commented — even the coaches — ‘Well, the Baiamontes get him back.’ Even D-Wade and UD (Udonis Haslem) said the same thing. In a way, we are getting him back, but it’s been wonderful to share him. … I have really seen the impact he’s had on so many people.”
NBA games taking place mostly at night has meant Baiamonte maneuvering to balance home life and work, shuffling birthdays, Christmas celebrations and vacations around Miami’s schedule. Natalie remembers times when her husband couldn’t speak to the family much, if at all, in an effort to rest or heal his voice for work. For an announcer to miss less than 2 percent of 1,600-plus games, there were plenty of days when Baiamonte didn’t have his best voice, but it would be hard to notice for fans who are well-accustomed to the excitement he provided.
She also recalls telling Baiamonte he was “crazy” for pushing through to announce a game with a 104-degree fever. But he’d gargle all the salt water and drink all the tea with honey he could to safely ensure he could bring his best voice to Heat basketball.
“It’s just been an incredible run. There’s a price for doing these things. Mike was willing to pay the price, and his family was willing to pay the price,” Elisburg said. “Sorry to see him go, but I’m also happy he’s beginning the next chapter and doing what he wants to do.”
Throughout Baiamonte’s final season, the Heat recognized him with an initiative called “Mike Drop,” which saw him honored with video tributes by former Heat players and a daylong April 4 celebration, capped by a 152-136 win over the Washington Wizards.
As Miami begins its search for its next basketball voice, Baiamonte encourages Heat fans to keep an open mind and ear.
“It’s been amazing, and I look forward to the Heat fans enjoying the future of the organization. It may sound a little different, but remember, it did 35 years ago, and look at what we did,” Baiamonte said. “I encourage you: Let’s try to build on that as we go to the future.”
Consider that one last shot in the arm from the Heat’s ultimate hype man.