Tim Hardaway Jr. will not be wearing his father’s retired No. 10 jersey for the Miami Heat. The Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway Sr. stated that his legacy is tied to the number and it will remain retired.
Hardaway Jr. recently agreed to a one-year, $6.5 million deal with the Heat, the same franchise where his father played from 1996 to 2001. Despite the sentimental connection, Hardaway Sr. expressed his decision definitively.
“My legacy is my legacy. Even though he likes to wear No. 10, that is not coming down from the rafters,” Hardaway Sr. told WQAM radio in Miami. “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.”
Hardaway Sr. retired from the NBA in 2003 and his No. 10 was officially retired by the Heat in 2009. The 34-year-old Hardaway Jr. has worn No. 10 for previous teams, including the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, and Denver Nuggets. He also wore other numbers such as 3, 5, 11, and 8 during his career.
Hardaway Jr. spent last season with the Nuggets, averaging 13.5 points per game and finishing third in Sixth Man of the Year voting. He is expected to join the Heat as a complementary player alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose trade to the team is reportedly nearing finalization.
While Hardaway Sr. will not permit his son to wear his number, he expressed pride in his son’s career accomplishments. “I love him. I love him. I’m happy for him. …. Watching him play through college and the NBA, he’d been to three places I’d never been: the Final Four, a championship, and now, he’s going to his hometown team. I never done that, and so, I’m happy that he’s doing it,” Hardaway Sr. said about his son, who grew up in South Florida. Hardaway Jr. will need to select a different available number, with No. 3 currently being the only option that matches a number he has previously worn.