The Miami Heat Will Play as 'Vice City' the Night Before GTA 6 Launches: Date, Tip-Off, TV, the Court, the Jersey and Every Item in the Merch Drop

For one night, Miami's NBA team is changing its name. On November 18, 2026, the evening before Grand Theft Auto VI goes on sale, the Miami Heat will take the court as "Vice City" when they host the Milwaukee Bucks at the Kaseya Center, live on ESPN. The Heat and Rockstar Games announced the partnership on October 2 as "A Night in Vice City", and it comes with a court built for one game, a uniform the team has never worn, and a Vice City clothing line that is already on sale.

It is the biggest piece yet of a Miami marketing push that has already put a near-$1 million sign on the arena's roof and GTA 6 branding on Miami Beach's chairs. Here is everything that is confirmed.

What the Heat and Rockstar announced

The announcement, published on the Heat's website, calls it "a historic partnership centered around the highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI":

“Rockstar Games joins the HEAT on November 18th to create A Night in Vice City, when the HEAT will take the court as 'Vice City' as they host the Milwaukee Bucks for an unprecedented event on the eve of the November 19th release of Grand Theft Auto VI.”

The Heat say the night will "transform the Kaseya Center into Vice City" for "a first-of-its-kind sports crossover experience", with three confirmed pieces:

• A Vice City court. "One court, one night only: The HEAT play on special hardwood built for Vice City," says the team's A Night in Vice City page. Its design has not been shown yet; the teaser image is deliberately blurred.
• A new uniform. "The HEAT will have a new, completely reimagined uniform for the night." The site shows only a silhouette labelled "Classified Jersey", and fans can sign up to be told when it drops.
• Activations. "Special activities starting on Opening Night inside Kaseya Center and unique game night activations on November 18," with more to be announced.

The partnership started on October 1 with what the Heat call "the celebrated lighting" of the "Welcome to Vice City" sign on the arena roof. That is the sign behind the deal Miami-Dade's commissioners only heard about at 1:30 in the morning. The Heat say news and a guide to the game-night activations will be posted at HEAT.com/ViceCity over the next few weeks.

Over the weekend the team also posted a short promo built around the line "Bright lights. Vice City", which, as GTA BOOM transcribed it, tells fans: "For one night only, the HEAT trade Miami for Vice City."

Who is playing, and how to watch

The opponent comes with a storyline of its own. The Bucks traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami in July in one of the biggest deals of the summer, so the Vice City game is also a night when the two-time MVP faces the franchise he played his first 13 seasons for. The Heat's preseason has already featured his Miami debut.

If you are watching from the UK, 7pm ET is midnight in London, as the clocks will have gone back in both countries by then.

Every item in the Vice City merch collection

The Heat's in-house clothing line, Court Culture, launched its Vice City collection the same day. It is sold at Miami HEAT Store locations and online only at MiamiHeatStore.com, and RockstarINTEL reported several sizes selling out within minutes. The store says orders ship in five to six weeks, so anything you order now arrives close to launch. Prices below are from the store on October 6.

Two pieces are aimed squarely at GTA fans. The "Vice City Souvenir" tee reads "Went to Vice City and all I got was this lousy t-shirt", which, as Dexerto spotted, riffs on the T-shirt Tommy Vercetti unlocks for 100% completion in the original Vice City. And the "Goodtime State" snapback uses Leonida's state slogan, the one Rockstar put on its $400 Vice City Collection and explained in our Goodtime State lore guide.

Why the Heat, and why it works

Miami and Vice City were close long before GTA 6. The Heat have worn "Vice" City Edition uniforms on and off since the 2017-18 season, in a pink-and-blue look borrowed from the same 1980s Miami that Rockstar's 2002 Vice City parodied. The Heat's store still sells "The Original Vice" and "Vice Nights" jerseys. In GTA 6 the arena itself is in the game: the Kaseya Center is the model for Vice City's Sahara Arena, which you can see lit up next to the waterfront Ferris wheel in Rockstar's screenshots.

Teams run themed nights all the time. What is new here is the scale: a team handing over its name, court, uniform and arena to one game, on national TV, timed to that game's launch. On November 18 the real arena will host a Vice City night under a "Welcome to Vice City" sign while its fictional twin waits inside the game, which goes on sale a few hours later.

The sheriff isn't objecting

Not everyone in Miami has been happy about the campaign. In September, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz came out against a proposed county partnership, saying "Grand Theft Auto is a videogame franchise built around criminal activity" whose world includes "violence against law enforcement". When PC Gamer asked about the Heat night, her office said those comments were about using "publicly owned facilities and infrastructure, including public transportation, transit stations, and Miami International Airport," to promote the game:

“Those comments were not directed at promotional decisions by private businesses or organizations.”

So the county's most vocal critic has no objection to a private NBA team turning itself into Vice City for a night. That leaves the Heat game, the Kaseya Center sign and the Miami Beach chairs all going ahead, with more reveals promised before November 18. Our GTA 6 launch countdown has every date between now and launch.

FAQ

When is the Miami Heat Vice City game?

Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 7:00pm ET, at the Kaseya Center against the Milwaukee Bucks. It is the night before GTA 6 launches.

What channel is the Heat Vice City game on?

ESPN nationally and WPLG Local 10 in South Florida, with radio on 104.3 WQAM.

Will the Heat wear GTA 6 jerseys?

They will wear a new uniform made for the night, which the Heat call "completely reimagined". It has not been revealed yet.

Where can I buy the Miami Heat Vice City shirts?

At Miami HEAT Store locations and online at MiamiHeatStore.com. The 14-piece Court Culture collection costs $45 to $110 and ships in five to six weeks.

Is the Kaseya Center in GTA 6?

Yes, as a fictional version: Vice City's Sahara Arena is based on it.

Sources

• Miami HEAT - Miami HEAT and Rockstar Games bring A Night in Vice City to Kaseya Center
• Miami HEAT - A Night in Vice City
• Miami HEAT Store
• GTA BOOM - Miami Heat Confirm GTA 6 Vice City Night Date, Tip Time and Broadcast Plan
• RockstarINTEL - New GTA 6 x Miami Heat Merchandise Announced
• Dexerto - New GTA 6 shirt brings Vice City's 100% completion reward to real life
• PC Gamer - Miami-Dade sheriff isn't mad about the NBA's 'Vice City' transformation
• ESPN - Bucks trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to Heat