STATS:

Name: Dylan Staskowski
Age: 9
Hometown: Boca Raton, FL
Twitter: @melissaolin (Dylan’s mom)

1. Tell us about you.

My name is Dylan and I am 9 years old. I am in 3rd grade and live in Boca Raton. Outside of school, I play basketball every chance I get. My dad is my coach on Boca Hoops and plays basketball with me every day. My mom and dad take me to as many games as they can, and we love watching every game together on tv. We don’t get to go to too many games, but try to go to any games we can.

2. How long have you been a LeBron fan? And what was the first piece of gear that you ever bought?

I was 6 when Lebron came to the Miami Heat and since then, I have loved basketball more than anything. The first piece of Lebron gear I bought was a white #6 jersey. I also have that same jersey in black and red. I want to get the USA jersey Lebron wore in the Olympics.

3. How many pieces of LeBron & Heat gear do you have total? Which are your favorites?

I have 9 Miami Heat jerseys, 6 championship shirts, Lebron James 10 sneakers, 2 Lebron James Nike Elites basketball socks, 2 Lebron James pajamas, 4 Miami Heat basketballs, Miami Heat Skills Hoop, 4 Miami Heat hats, 3 rubber bracelets, championship sunglasses, Miami Heat headband and sweatbands, 21 posters and 6 fatheads all over my room, and a Miami Heat blanket on my bed. I have pictures of myself with Norris Cole and Dexter Pittman from Coach Tony’s Miami Heat Summer Camp.
My mom has a Miami Heat flag for her car and Lebron James is her favorite player too. My flat caps and sneakers are my favorites!

4. Who would you like to see LeBron & the Heat play in the 2013 NBA Finals?

Los Angeles Clippers or Lakers

5. Do you have any shoutouts or messages that you want to send out?

LBJ you rock! You are my favorite player and you got me excited about playing basketball.
I hope to accomplish as many goals for myself as you did. Can’t wait to cheer you on in the finals!
GO HEAT!

STATS:

Name: Mark Ellenbogen
Age: 20
Hometown: Miami, FL
Twitter: @MarkEllenbogen

1. Tell us about you.

I’m 20 years old from Miami, Florida and I still live in south Florida. I’m a junior at FIU majoring in sports management. Sports is my passion and I’m a diehard fan of the Miami Hurricanes, Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat, and the Miami Marlins.

2. How long have you been a LeBron fan? And what was the first piece of gear that you ever bought?

I’ve been a LeBron fan ever since he was in high school really. I remember when I was younger watching his high school games on ESPN. Since I’m a Heat fan, he was always my 2nd favorite player behind Dwyane Wade while he played for Cleveland. When he decided to take his talents to South Beach, I was extremely happy and LeBron has since become my favorite player.

3. How many pieces of LeBron & Heat gear do you have total? Which are your favorites?

I have probably around 20 pieces of Heat gear and at least half of it is LeBron gear. My favorite piece that I’ve collected so far would definitely have to be the “Earned Not Given” shirt.

4. Who would you like to see LeBron & the Heat play in the 2013 NBA Finals?

Los Angeles Lakers

5. Do you have any shoutouts or messages that you want to send out?

I’d just like to send a shoutout to the King himself, LeBron James. Thanks for being not only the best basketball player on the planet, but a great person and thanks for being on the Heat. I’d love to meet him one day.

STATS:

Name: Ryan DeGaten
Age: 27
Hometown: McDonald, Ohio (Youngstown)
Twitter: @notthefakeGate

1. Tell us about you.

Hello, My name is Ryan. I am 27 and a sports nerd. I was born and raised outside of Youngstown, Ohio.

2. How long have you been a LeBron fan? And what was the first piece of gear that you ever bought?

I have been a fan of LeBron since I saw him play in person back at St. Vincent St. Mary in 2002. I got to meet him once right out of high school. One of the first things I ever bought was a #23 St. V jersey.

3. How many pieces of LeBron & Heat gear do you have total? Which are your favorites?

I would say I have near 100 different types of Lebron merch, shoes, clothes, jerseys and Fatheads just to name a few. As far as my favorite I would have to say my custom #6 Cavs jersey.

4. Who would you like to see LeBron & the Heat play in the 2013 NBA Finals?

I would always get a lot of questions and comments when I wore it. I’d really like to see the Heat go up against the Lakers in the Finals this year.

5. Do you have any shoutouts or messages that you want to send out?

I’d like to give a few shoutouts; My buddy Dan (@TheREALDeHart), my amazing girlfriend (@Degoschic22) and the coolest 6 year old I know, my son, Geoffrey.

STATS:

Name: Ashley Hernandez
Age: 20
Hometown: Miami, FL
Twitter: @LeBronDaughter6

1. Tell us about you.

I am 100% Puerto Rican, born and raised in Miami,FL. I am the oldest child out of three who is being raised by a single mother who I love and respect dearly. I am a student at Miami Dade College and currently enlisted in the Army. Hopefully after I spend my time in the military I would love to become a SWAT or SRT officer. In my free time I like to play basketball and hang out with my friends and/or family.

2. How long have you been a LeBron fan? And what was the first piece of gear that you ever bought?

I’ve been a fan for as long as I can remember. The first piece of gear I bought was a pair of LeBron James kicks, I even made my mom get a pair. Now whenever she wears them she calls herself a cool mom lol.

3. How many pieces of LeBron & Heat gear do you have total? Which are your favorites?

I have about 30 pieces LeBron & Miami Heat gear. My mom told me I can’t get any more stuff though because I’m leaving soon. My favorite piece I collected so far has to be my customized LeBronDaughter6 Miami Heat shirt my best friend Karen got for me. Not only is it different but it’s autographed by the king himself!

4. Who would you like to see LeBron & the Heat play in the 2013 NBA Finals?

I would like to see LeBron and the Miami Heat play against the LA Lakers. I would love to see LeBron James win a ring over Kobe Bryant.

5. Do you have any shoutouts or messages that you want to send out?

First off I would like to give Mama James a shoutout for raising such a positive role model! Being raised by a single mom myself I know it wasn’t an easy job. Secondly I would like to give a shoutout to everyone who helped me get my birthday wish from LeBron and Savannah. Third but not least I would like to give a shoutout to the Miami Heat for all their accomplishments last season! Now I would like to send a message out to LeBron James and Savannah and ask them for the opportunity to spend the day with them and the little ones (their sons) before I leave off for the Army in February. I would really love that and would be honored. HEAT REPEAT 2012-2013!!!!!

Sophia Del Carmen is a half-Guatemalan, half–Costan Rican singer signed to Pitbull’s label, Mr. 305, Inc. Aside from being a Heat fan (judging by the photo below), she has sung the National Anthem a few times at the American Airlines Arena before a few Heat games. She has gained quite a following in the Latin American world and is currently working on her album under the guidance of Pitbull.

Follow Sophia on Twitter: @SophiaDelCarmen

Just spotted our girl, Taneish Simpson, working the shoot of 305 Films’ Miami Heat Intro shoot. Taneish is a model that has been gracing magazines, album covers and music videos for quite a few years now. Check out this behind the scenes video of the Miami Heat’s new intro.

XionOne is one of the biggest Heat fans you could meet. He’s a blogger and graphic designer based out of Miami. He runs a few blogs, including the super-passionate Miami Heat themed blog Miami Heat Stroke on Tumblr. His live in-game commentary and tons of Miami Heat themed posts make his blog the voice of a lot of like-minded Heat fans. I thought I’d track him down and do a quick Q&A on his thoughts, opinions and personal interests as one of the biggest Heat fans in the blog world. Read it below…

Introduce yourself.

The real name is Dane. I do a lot of things here and there; I’ve been a graphic designer for awhile, since way back when I was 14 and was teaching myself with tutorials but I eventually went to school for it. I do a lot of freelancing with various other gigs on the side. I’m one of those early internet users from the 90s so I’ve seen it all and watched it grow, made money from it. I was born in New York and moved to Miami when I was little. That was the year Andrew hit, so that was the official “welcome to Florida” moment.

What inspired you to start MiamiHeatStroke?

A couple years ago, the team famously got off to a shaky start. Every loss was magnified all season long. There was a game in early 2011 against the Knicks where they came to AAA and beat us. I HATE the Knicks, so when I saw what all the Knicks fans were saying on social media and whatnot, making a Heat blog was a reaction to it. I wanted a place where I could talk about the Heat and vent my frustrations without having to see tweets and posts from fans of other teams while doing it. Everybody hated us so all that added up.

Top 3 Favorite Miami Heat moments?

#1 – would be when LeBron arrived. You know, it was like Christmas here. People were honking horns on South Beach and everything. We kept hearing about all these other teams for a couple years and then suddenly Miami starts getting mentioned at the last minute, and then he officially confirms it to the world. It was just amazing to see.

#2 – would be DWade’s play on Amar’e Stoudemire in his 2nd season. He blocked Amar’e from behind, scooped the ball and threw up a halfcourt shot that went in right before the buzzer went off. 9 years later, still haven’t seen anything close to that.

#3 – would probably be when Zo came back in 2005. I remember he had 9 blocks against the Knicks and we won. Not only was it good to see Zo back and doing his thing, but its always great to beat the Knicks.

Favorite LeBron sneaker of all time?

The LeBron 2s, by far. I didn’t appreciate them enough when they first dropped. When he retires, I hope that shoe is one of the first to get retro releases. He did stats in those shoes that he hasn’t done since.

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What’s your thought on the team this year and the new additions to the team?

They’re stacked with shooters like the old Suns with Nash. Spoelstra wants to speed up the tempo and play small, plus the bench looks like a lineup for a 3point shooting contest (I think four of those guys have literally been in the contest before). The team is going to blow a lot of people out and this will be the high-octane offense that some expected back in 2010. I think the new additions would have been a much bigger deal if Rashard didn’t have such a crappy season last year. Everybody is writing him off but I think he’ll be big later on. Everybody knows what Ray is going to bring every night.

In Miami, what’s the place you would tell an out of towner to check out when they first get into town?

Probably South Beach, since that’s what a lot of folks come down here for anyway. Its cool to just drive through Collins/Lincoln and check out the people and sights, especially on busy holiday weekends. Grab a bite at La Sandwicherie or one of the various pizza spots and cafes. There’s boutiques everywhere and plenty places to shop for clothes and kicks. I’m a Downtown guy though. AAA, Bayside, Shoe Gallery, the New York-ish atmosphere and shops… that’s my playground.

Best place to watch a Heat game (other than the arena of course)?

Duffy’s in North Miami Beach comes to mind. Its huge with all those TVs and the view outside is nice, plus there’s a swimming pool in it for those that are about that life. The Heat and the dancers have events there with fans occasionally. There’s a lot of other restaurants and sports grill spots in the area to check out during games.

Any last words?

Besides Miami Heat Stroke, check out my urban culture blog at MaterialKillers.com. Its kept evolving the past 3 years and I see some dope things happening in the future with it. My co-blogger Monty is beasting with his art, check him out on Twitter and Instagram @halfpastfull. You might see his designs on tees soon. Also the homie Krystal, another co-blogger, has her magazine in the works. Check out www.redefinedmag.com and be on the look out for that. Some stuff involving myself are in the works, but can’t talk about them yet!

CHECK OUT: miamiheatstroke.tumblr.com

Claudia Sampedro is a Cuban model that lives in Miami. Appearing in tons of magazines, websites and gaining tons of recognition on Instagram, she’s definitely built a name for herself. A single mother and driven to reach her goals, she seems to find time in her busy schedule to always root and cheer for her hometeam, the Miami Heat. And in various Instagram and Twitter photos, you can see her dressed up in Miami Heat gear.

Follow Claudia on Twitter @ClaudiaSampedro

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DJ Obscene is a Miami staple. Having started DJing at a young age, he’s exploded over the last few years from starting in the mixtape scene to then ending up as a regular in the Miami nightlife scene and traveling around the country. And he’s also a big Miami Heat and LeBron fan as his sneaker collection seems to be decked out with various LeBron releases.

For the rest of the week, you can catch Obscene tearing up Las Vegas representing Miami and Y100 (Clear Channel) at the @IHeartRadio Music Festival. He’s spinning at various clubs, as well as at the actual festival itself.

You can catch DJ Obscene every week on Y100 (also on iHeartRadio) every Friday and Saturday nights spinning live from 10p-12a every week.

More Info:
www.facebook.com/DJOBSCENE
www.twitter.com/DJOBSCENE
www.obscenesounds.com

Aside from handling all the PR for Miami Heat street band, Dangerflow, Nina Arce (pictured above at the NBA Finals earlier this summer) is a make-up artist based in Miami. You might remember some of her work with a few photoshoots we did with Nina earlier in the year at Unknwn (click here, here, here and here).

Well, Ms. Nina Arce just launched her brand new website and is really taking things into full steam on the make-up artistry side, so definitely check her new site out and check out her work. Plus, she’s one of the biggest Heat fans you’ll ever meet.

Check out: www.NinasMakeup.com
Twitter: @NinasMakeup
Facebook: Facebook.com/NinasMakeup

And some of her work below…

Photo: Nina Arce (left), applying make-up onto Chandra Maharaj