The Miami Heat will temporarily rebrand as Vice City for its Nov. 18 home game against the Milwaukee Bucks, staging a promotional takeover one day before the release of Grand Theft Auto 6.
Key points
- The Miami Heat will play under the Vice City name on Nov. 18 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
- The game takes place at Kaseya Center one day before Grand Theft Auto 6 releases on Nov. 19.
- The event includes a custom hardwood court design, exclusive uniforms, and themed apparel.
- ESPN will televise the game nationally at 7 p.m. Eastern, alongside local South Florida broadcast on Local 10.
The one-night event brings Rockstar Games’ fictional Florida setting directly into the National Basketball Association. Dubbed “A Night in Vice City,” the matchup at Kaseya Center will feature a custom court floor, special player uniforms, and game-night activations tied to the upcoming video game release.
Game Schedule and Broadcast Details
The Nov. 18 game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. Eastern at Kaseya Center in downtown Miami. ESPN will televise the game nationally across the United States, while Local 10 will broadcast the matchup locally in the South Florida market.
The timing places the promotional takeover on the eve of the Nov. 19 launch for GTA 6, aligning the NBA regular-season schedule with Rockstar’s launch calendar. Tickets for the single-night event are currently available through Ticketmaster.
Court Redesign and Custom Uniforms
For the Bucks matchup, the Heat will abandon its standard home branding in favor of the Vice City identity. Team officials confirmed that workers will install a custom hardwood court specifically manufactured for the game. Neither the full court layout nor the exact graphics have been publicly revealed.
The players will wear a redesigned uniform created specifically for the collaboration, documented on the Heat Vice City uniform collection page on the league website. While the Miami franchise previously wore retro-themed “Vice” alternate jerseys between 2017 and 2021, this project marks the first official commercial partnership between the franchise and the Grand Theft Auto video game series.
Themed Merchandise and Arena Signage
Rockstar and the franchise have already released a collaborative apparel line through the official Miami Heat Store. The collection incorporates visual elements from the fictional city, including the classic neon script logo and graphic T-shirts displaying the phrase “CALL 1-999-VICECITY.” Team retail representatives confirmed that additional apparel pieces will arrive in the store closer to tipoff.
Physical promotion began at Kaseya Center last month, when venue operators mounted a lit “Welcome to Vice City” display outside the arena. The retail push follows a broader commercial rollout for GTA 6 merchandise, which has seen collaborative print releases and promotional gear sell out within minutes of hitting digital storefronts.
Rockstar’s Real-World Promotional Push
Transforming an active NBA arena into a fictional setting reflects an aggressive physical marketing push by parent company Take-Two Interactive. Earlier in the marketing cycle, sustained player interest in GTA 6 prompted widespread online speculation over how the developer would handle local promotional tie-ins across South Florida.
The Nov. 18 game against Milwaukee serves as the final high-profile promotional event ahead of the worldwide retail launch on Nov. 19. Team and league representatives have not announced whether the Vice City court or uniforms will make any subsequent appearances later in the 2026–27 NBA season.
