Burnie (mascot)

Burnie is the mascot of the Miami Heat, the NBA basketball team. Burnie is a rough, anthropomorphic depiction of the fireball featured on the team's logo.

Personal

The Burnie suit is a full-body costume. The body is orange fur, with orange feathers for hair. Burnie's "nose" is a green basketball. Burnie wears number 0 for the Heat, typically in a black uniform, although he has also worn the Heat's red and white jerseys during playoff promotions. During the 2012 NBA Playoffs, due to the "White Hot Playoffs" theme of the Miami Heat, Burnie's costume changed to an all-white version of the same suit, with the jersey's text having a black trim. He may also wear a white Miami Heat t-shirt sometimes.

Legal problems

Burnie was sued in 1994 during an exhibition game in Puerto Rico. Burnie selected a woman from the audience, dragged her by the feet, and danced on the court with her during a time-out. The woman turned out to be the wife of a Federal Judge. The woman pulled away from Burnie and fell. Incredibly, Burnie faced 20 years in jail after being charged with aggravated assault and battery. Burnie was also sued for US$1 million for emotional distress. The media ridiculed the case and the wife repeatedly appeared on late-night TV. The case was settled for $50,000.^[1]

References

External links

• Burnie Report
• Burnie Vision