The Miami Heat held a touching pregame tribute Saturday for the those affected by the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Members of the Heat and Memphis Grizzlies gathered at midcourt to hold a large Stoneman Douglas banner while Dwyane Wade addressed the crowd.
"Tonight, we honor the 17 lives that were tragically lost in Parkland," Wade said. "We applaud the fearless students that are fighting for their lives. We also make sure that their voices are heard around gun safety. You are our nation's inspiration. We salute you and we support you."
The Heat, who on Friday debuted a uniform patch to honor the victims, then honored each of the 17 victims on the video screen before Alex Wind, a Stoneman Douglas student and member of the school's drama club, sang the national anthem.
>> Watch his national anthem performance here
"It's an absolute honor for us to wear these patches," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before Friday's game in New Orleans. "I know I speak for everybody in that locker room and everybody in the organization, we are so very inspired by the leadership and courage and absolute fearlessness of the kids and young men and women at Stoneman Douglas. It's such a tragic event, but we hear their voices, loud and clear. And we are behind them and this is only the start."
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