Tim Hardaway Jr. is finally coming home to play for the Miami Heat. But he won’t be wearing the number that made his dad famous in that building. That much is non-negotiable.
Hardaway Jr. agreed to a one-year, $6.5 million deal with the Heat in free agency, landing with the franchise where his father built a Hall of Fame résumé. The younger Hardaway grew up in the area and gets to suit up for his hometown team. But the No. 10 jersey that hangs in the Kaseya Center rafters? That’s staying right where it is.
Tim Hardaway Sr. made that crystal clear during an appearance on the Hochman, Crowder and Solana Show on WQAM radio. He didn’t mince words when the topic came up.
“My legacy is my legacy. Even though he likes to wear No. 10, that is not coming down from the rafters,” Hardaway Sr. said.
He explained that a retired number represents years of work and sacrifice. Once it’s up there, it stays up there. No exceptions, not even for your own kid.
“That is tough to do. And when it’s up there, you want it to stay up there and you don’t want nobody to touch it,” he said. “And I love him, I love him to death, I’m happy for him. He’s been to three places I have never been in: a Final Four, a championship, and now he’s going to his hometown team. I’m happy that he’s doing it, but no, he can’t wear number 10.”
This isn’t a new conversation either. Hardaway Sr. revealed that the family talked about it years ago when a potential move to Miami first surfaced.
“5-6 years ago, we was trying to get to Miami, and they wanted him,” Hardaway Sr. said. “It never happened because of trade reasons and all that type of stuff. He asked me that (wearing number 10 in Miami) and me and my wife was like ‘uh-uh, no’, we thought about it for 24 hours and no.”
The Father’s Legacy
Hardaway Sr. joined the Heat in February 1996 and immediately became the face of the franchise. Over 367 regular-season games — all starts — he averaged 17.3 points and 7.8 assists. In his first three full seasons, he made two All-Star teams and earned three straight All-NBA nods, including First Team in 1996-97. That year he averaged 20.3 points, 8.6 assists and 1.9 steals, finished fourth in MVP voting and set a franchise single-season record for assists per game. His 203 made three-pointers that season stood as a Heat record until 2004-05.
The Heat retired his No. 10 on Oct. 28, 2009, making him just the second player in franchise history to get that honor after Alonzo Mourning. He entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
What Hardaway Jr. Brings
The younger Hardaway arrives after a season with the Denver Nuggets where he averaged 13.5 points per game and shot a career-best 40.7% from three-point range. He finished fourth in the NBA with 187 catch-and-shoot threes, converting 42.4% of those attempts.
Miami is banking on that perimeter shooting to space the floor for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo as the Heat chase another deep playoff run. Hardaway Jr. has been to a Final Four at Michigan, won an NBA title with Dallas in 2011 and now gets to play in front of the home crowd. He just won’t be doing it in his dad’s old number.
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