Getty Kaseya Center before Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets
Add “Grand Theft Auto 6 appearance” to the list of accomplishments by the Miami Heat franchise. Kind of.
Maybe it shouldn’t be positioned on the top line alongside the NBA titles earned in 2006, 2012 and 2013, but seeing a Kaseya Center recreation in a next-gen video game should certainly thrill Miami residents and video game-playing supporters of the Heat organization from around the globe.
The Kaseya Center Made an Appearance in the Viral GTA 6 Trailer
Roughly 25 seconds into the first trailer for the newest installment in the Grand Theft Auto video game series, the Kaseya Center, the home of the Miami Heat, makes an appearance just off the highway, lighting up the night sky with its colorful side walls.
Y’all pulling up to the Kaseya Center in GTA 6 👀
Coming out in 2025, GTA 6 will feature plenty of iconic spots in and around Vice City, based on the real-life city of Miami, as it looks to match—and build upon—the success of its predecessor.
Grand Theft Auto 5, released by Rockstar Games in September 2013 and set in the fictional San Andreas, California, remains one of the most popular games of all time and has pushed north of 190 million copies sold in its decade of existence.
Despite the California setting, though, the game did not contain references to the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers or Sacramento Kings.
Instead, it featured the Los Santos Panic, who claimed 16 titles while playing home games at the fictional Maze Bank Arena. You could even buy in-game merchandise, per GTA Wiki, at a store called Sports Gear in the Vespucci Beach Sidewalk Market. The purple-and-gold iconography and titles earned the same years as the Lakers’ championships were clearly intentional decisions.
Will the NBA be Featured in GTA6?
Probably not, though nothing official has been revealed.
GTA6 will be set in Vice City rather than Miami even if the open-world environment is undeniably modeled after the real location. The first trailer showed off a few notable Miami settings, including the Kaseya Center, Wynwood, The Keys, and I-95.
That GTA VI trailer was everything I’ve waited a decade for. It’s incredible seeing it back in Vice City, and with modern technology we can finally explore my home.
Just look at it! The Keys, I-95 and the Kaseya Center, Wynwood!
It stands to reason, then, that the Heat will receive treatment similar to the Lakers a decade ago.
Expect to see fictitious players rather than Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and rising rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. if you make it within the confines of the 19,600-seat arena that will likely feature a made-up name. Perhaps you’ll be able to acquire regalia similar to GTA 5’s, or even a poster with a Vice City squad celebrating a trio of titles that just happen to have come in, say, 2006, 2012 and 2013.
Regardless, former Heat standout LeBron James is excited.
GTA6 looks INSANE!!!! SHEESH 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
So, too, is the rest of the video game world.
At the time of publication, roughly 22 hours after release, the Rockstar Games-produced trailer had received nearly 88 million views on YouTube, almost 700,000 comments and a near-feverish amount of hype, excitement and speculation on various social media platforms.
Maybe you’ll be able to venture into a renamed version of the Kaseya Center and watch a fictional team take down the out-of-town opposition. Perhaps you’ll be able to get ahold of a basketball yourself and rain in some three-pointers. Only time will tell.
Either way, the Heat can’t be disappointed about this out-of-the-blue publicity.