Former student manager becomes CEO of Miami Heat

[Mike Corey]

Nick Arison, who was a student manager at Duke under Coach K for four seasons, took over the Miami Heat today as its new CEO, a position previously held by Nick's father. Nick is 30.

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_basketball_heat/files/2010/09/Nick-Arison-blog.jpg

Congratulations, and good luck!

[slower]

As Mel Brooks would say...It's good to be king!

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Congratulations and good luck Nick. He doesn't look too happy in that picture...

[DevilWearsPrada]

Congratulations to Nick on his promotion. His father, Mickey is CEO of Carnival Cruise lines, also. Mickey also donated at least $1 million to the Duke Legacy Fund for mens basketball team. Thanks for posting!

[NovaScotian]

When will Joe Pagliuca become Boston's CEO? I look forward to the day when each NBA team is either owned or run by a Duke grad.

[TheRose77]

I hoped that by today the lead in to the front page link would not have referred to Nick as a former trainer. He was, as noted above, a student manager, an indispensable cog in the Duke basketball machine. Congrats to Nick!

[Truth&Justise]

Reviving an old thread to highlight an interesting anecdote from ESPN that shows how Duke / Team USA / NBA connections can overlap in important ways.


But the groundwork for their coming together in Miami was laid even before [2008]. A funny thing happened when Pat Riley and the Heat's brass walked into the 2010 free agent meeting with James in Cleveland. James shook the hands of the Heat's front office members but gave a big hug to Nick Arison, the son of owner Micky Arison. This was a surprise to everyone else in the room. But Nick -- a Duke alum who later became the Heat's CEO -- knew James from when they traveled to Japan as part of Team USA in 2006. He was the team manager under head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Nick was a manager on the 2001 NCAA championship team and was on Team USA's staff from 2004-2008--actually predating Coach K's tenure.

Full article about Team USA influencing modern NBA "superteams" is here (http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20103019/how-dream-teams-led-superteams).

EDIT: And apparently the Chronicle scoped part of the story in 2010 (http://www.dukechronicle.com/blog/blue-zone/2010/07/duke-grad-had-hand-putting-together-miamis-super-friends). I must have missed it then, but I appreciate the new details.

[kAzE]

When will Joe Pagliuca become Boston's CEO? I look forward to the day when each NBA team is either owned or run by a Duke grad.

It's a conspiracy!

Long live Commissioner Silver!