On July 20, 2010, Howard came to terms for the 2010–11 NBA season with the Miami Heat on a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum salary, which was $1,352,181.
 Although he was only paid the minimum by the Heat, he was in the final year of his four-year buyout from the Timberwolves.
By joining the Heat, Howard joined a team that by the time of the 2011 NBA playoffs, included former champion Dwyane Wade as well as a group of players such as LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
In March, he was featured in the documentary film The Fab Five, which was about his time as a Wolverine, that reignited controversy and reinvigorated the Duke–Michigan basketball rivalry.
On March 31, Howard was fined $35,000 for escalating an altercation the night before.
Howard was ejected for pushing JaVale McGee, who was attempting to break up a dispute between Zydrunas Ilgauskas and John Wall.
For the season, Howard played 57 games for the 2010–11 Heat, all as a reserve.
He averaged 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds with season highs of 18 points and 7 rebounds.
The Heat reached the NBA Finals, losing to the Dallas Mavericks four games to two.
Howard averaged 1.5 points and .9 rebounds per game during the postseason.

On December 10, 2011, Howard re-signed with the Heat for the same veteran's minimum salary as the year before.
Howard appeared in 28 regular season games as a reserve with limited minutes.
At age 39, Howard was the third-oldest active player in the league during the 2011–12 NBA season, behind Kurt Thomas and Grant Hill.
Before Game 4 of an 2012 NBA playoffs series against the Indiana Pacers, Howard engaged in pregame verbal sparring with Lance Stephenson after Stephenson mocked Howard's teammate James.
Despite this incident, Howard was a maturing influence on the team during the playoffs; according to David Neal of The Miami Herald, "More often, Howard stood as the body of reason — getting between Dwyane Wade and Spoelstra against Indiana in Game 3 of the second round, pulling Mario Chalmers away from Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant."
On June 21, 2012, Howard became the first and only member of the Fab Five to win an NBA championship, as a role player on the 2011–12 Miami Heat.
Howard was on the court as time expired in the series-clinching game because the three stars of the Heat (James, Wade and Bosh) had arranged it.
Howard spoke about representing the Fab Five after the Heat won the 2012 NBA Finals.
A teammate with the Heat was Shane Battier, who grew up in Detroit as a fan of the Fab Five and idolized Howard.
In his early teens, Battier sought Howard's autograph on a pair of sneakers and a few years later became a part of the Duke–Michigan basketball rivalry when he turned down the local scholarship offer from Michigan to play for Duke Blue Devils men's basketball.
Following the season, Howard became an unrestricted free agent.
At the 20th annual ESPY Awards, Howard and Heat teammate Mike Miller took to the stage to accept the award for Team of the Year.

On February 21, 2013, the Heat traded Dexter Pittman to create space on the roster to pursue a more experienced big man.
On March 2, 2013, Howard signed a 10-day contract with the 2012–13 Miami Heat.
On March 12, 2013, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Heat, and on March 22, 2013, he was signed for the remainder of the season.
He made his first appearance of the season for the Heat on March 24 against the Charlotte Bobcats tallying two points, a rebound and two assists in three minutes of play as the Heat made their way to their 26th consecutive victory.
On April 15, he made his first start since April 14, 2010 as the Heat defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers without James, Wade, Bosh, Battier, Chalmers and Udonis Haslem in the penultimate game of the regular season.
Howard's April 17 start in the season finale against the Orlando Magic marked Howard's 900th career start.
On May 30, during halftime of game 5 of the Eastern Conference championship against the Indiana Pacers, Howard delivered a passionate speech that fired up the team in its clinching game.
With the retirement of G
On July 20, 2010, Howard came to terms for the 2010–11 NBA season with the Miami Heat on a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum salary, which was $1,352,181.  Although he was only paid the minimum by the Heat, he was in the final year of his four-year buyout from the Timberwolves. By joining the Heat, Howard joined a team that by the time of the 2011 NBA playoffs, included former champion Dwyane Wade as well as a group of players such as LeBron James and Chris Bosh. In March, he was featured in the documentary film The Fab Five, which was about his time as a Wolverine, that reignited controversy and reinvigorated the Duke–Michigan basketball rivalry. On March 31, Howard was fined $35,000 for escalating an altercation the night before. Howard was ejected for pushing JaVale McGee, who was attempting to break up a dispute between Zydrunas Ilgauskas and John Wall. For the season, Howard played 57 games for the 2010–11 Heat, all as a reserve. He averaged 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds with season highs of 18 points and 7 rebounds. The Heat reached the NBA Finals, losing to the Dallas Mavericks four games to two. Howard averaged 1.5 points and .9 rebounds per game during the postseason.
On December 10, 2011, Howard re-signed with the Heat for the same veteran's minimum salary as the year before. Howard appeared in 28 regular season games as a reserve with limited minutes. At age 39, Howard was the third-oldest active player in the league during the 2011–12 NBA season, behind Kurt Thomas and Grant Hill. Before Game 4 of an 2012 NBA playoffs series against the Indiana Pacers, Howard engaged in pregame verbal sparring with Lance Stephenson after Stephenson mocked Howard's teammate James. Despite this incident, Howard was a maturing influence on the team during the playoffs; according to David Neal of The Miami Herald, "More often, Howard stood as the body of reason — getting between Dwyane Wade and Spoelstra against Indiana in Game 3 of the second round, pulling Mario Chalmers away from Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant." On June 21, 2012, Howard became the first and only member of the Fab Five to win an NBA championship, as a role player on the 2011–12 Miami Heat. Howard was on the court as time expired in the series-clinching game because the three stars of the Heat (James, Wade and Bosh) had arranged it. Howard spoke about representing the Fab Five after the Heat won the 2012 NBA Finals. A teammate with the Heat was Shane Battier, who grew up in Detroit as a fan of the Fab Five and idolized Howard. In his early teens, Battier sought Howard's autograph on a pair of sneakers and a few years later became a part of the Duke–Michigan basketball rivalry when he turned down the local scholarship offer from Michigan to play for Duke Blue Devils men's basketball. Following the season, Howard became an unrestricted free agent. At the 20th annual ESPY Awards, Howard and Heat teammate Mike Miller took to the stage to accept the award for Team of the Year.
On February 21, 2013, the Heat traded Dexter Pittman to create space on the roster to pursue a more experienced big man. On March 2, 2013, Howard signed a 10-day contract with the 2012–13 Miami Heat. On March 12, 2013, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Heat, and on March 22, 2013, he was signed for the remainder of the season. He made his first appearance of the season for the Heat on March 24 against the Charlotte Bobcats tallying two points, a rebound and two assists in three minutes of play as the Heat made their way to their 26th consecutive victory. On April 15, he made his first start since April 14, 2010 as the Heat defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers without James, Wade, Bosh, Battier, Chalmers and Udonis Haslem in the penultimate game of the regular season. Howard's April 17 start in the season finale against the Orlando Magic marked Howard's 900th career start. On May 30, during halftime of game 5 of the Eastern Conference championship against the Indiana Pacers, Howard delivered a passionate speech that fired up the team in its clinching game. With the retirement of G
Juwan Howard