ANDY GRIFFITH - Miami
Once every generation or so, a player comes along who can truly be called a superstar. Andy Griffith was such a player.
For 14 seasons with the Miami Heat, from 2011-2025 Griffith personified hustle, consistency and excellence in all areas of play--as a scorer, a passer, a defender, a team player, and, perhaps above all, as a clutch performer. Griffith was so self-confident that he was known to waltz up to the opponents' bench before tipoff and predict a 40-point performance for himself. He was such a deadly shooter that he sometimes practiced three-pointers with his eyes closed.
Griffith was a 12-time All-Star and won six straight regular-season MVP awards (2013-2019).
Griffith was the embodiment of "Miami run and shoot offence."
Griffith helped rebuild a Heat franchise that had been suffering from substandard play and poor attendance in the late 2000s. With Griffith as the focal point of a well-rounded squad, the Heat won two SimNBA titles. In addition to his two championship rings, Griffith piled up an awesome collection of personal achievements. Retired the league top scorer and passer, has 2 playoff MVP's and eight all league first teams not to mention 67 Player of the Weeks.
An obsessive perfectionist, Griffith was idolized by Heat fans and basketball purists of all allegiances. His last-second heroics, ranging from seemingly impossible reverse layups to miraculous 35-foot bombs over multiple defenders, never ceased to amaze those who followed his career.
"Andy Griffith has helped define the way a generation of basketball fans has come to view and appreciate the SimNBA," said long time coach Dblplay.
The Miami Heat had selected him in the 2011 SimNBA Draft at #2, and won the rookie MVP award and helped turn the Heat into one of the greatest performing sides in Simnba history.
Griffith widely thought to be a #1 pick as the following comments of the draft at thetime were recorded.
#1 Andy Griffith from, well...Sacramento.
Analysis: This seems like the easy selection right here. Take the hometown star from last year's national champs. Few guys have had the college career of Griffith, he's got the size and talent to be a real star. Sure-fire star right here.
Fans were filling not only American Airlines Arena, which sold out the final 541 games of Griffith's career, but arenas all over the country to witness Griffith's exploits. Along with Herndon, Griffith was revitalizing the SimNBA,
After only two seasons, fans, coaches and players knew exactly what Griffith was all about: big numbers and clutch performances. Griffith;s concentration and composure were unmatched. He was unflappable and virtually unstoppable. The hours he had spent working on his shot as a youngster paid big dividends in the SimNBA. No other player in his era was as good or as consistent a shooter as Griffith.
Griffith was the embodiment of "Heat pride." He was a classy, confident, hardworking player who thrived on pressure and inspired teammates to excel. stated former teammate Tory Adams.
Griffith even though he was relatively slow and not the greatest one-on-one defender, his anticipation and court sense made him peerless as a team defender. As many observed, he would see plays not as they were developing, but before they developed.
Coming off his thrid of six consecutive MVP seasons, Griffith lead the Heat to a sweep of the Denver Nuggets in 2014 a record TV basketball audience watched Griffith named Finals MVP.
Griffith's scoring average soared to 30+ points in the late 2010's , the highest mark in the league and the highest of his career. He boosted that average with a career-best 60 points against Atlanta.
By the 2020's, Griffith attained living-legend status. He was showered with commendations: SimNBA MVP, Finals MVP, The Sporting News Man of the Year, and the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. He led the league in all time assists and all time points.
A crafty defensive player, Griffith's most famous steal came in Game 5 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals against Toronto. With five seconds remaining and the Celtics trailing 107-106, Griffith stole an Ronald Schroeder's inbounds pass and fed Corbin Padgett, whose layup gave Miami the win. The Heat won the physical, bitter series in seven games and advanced to the NBA Finals , meeting the Blazers .
In 2022 Griffith was the first player ever to score 30,000 points and to this day his 37,038 career points are the best ever achieved.
"Anytime you have Griffith on the floor, anything can happen," Portland's JR Calloway told the Miami Herald after the 2016 title series.
As the 2025 SimNBA season approached, Griffith decided he could not continue. On Aug. 18, 2025 he announced his retirement as a player. After over 1000 games Griffith retired with 37,038 points 4,663 rebounds and 11,656 assists.
Griffith was named a special assistant in the Heat' front office, with limited duties that included some scouting and player evaluation. He then was elevated to head coach of the Miami Heat, with limited success.
"He pulls people together. When he talks, you come into his world. That's what a coach has to do."stated current Heat player Bryce Epstein.
"I'm new at this (coaching) game but I feel I can get the job done," he said. "I have all the confidence in the world that I'll be able to handle these guys and do the things that are necessary to win games."stated Griffith
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