Bobby Portis Jr. has settled on his new jersey number with the Miami Heat, adopting No. 95. The reasoning behind the choice is an unexpected one: a highway sign.
Portis, who was traded to the Heat from the Milwaukee Bucks, explained that he wanted a fresh start and a new number to signify his move. While driving his belongings to Miami, he encountered a highway sign that read "95 South."
"When I was driving my stuff down to Miami, I didn’t want to wear No. 9 because that’s a Milwaukee thing for me," Portis said. "So, I wanted to change it up a little bit. I was looking up at the sign and it said ‘95 South.’ And if you don’t know, you can take 95 all the way to Miami. So 95 is where I’m at now."
Adding a secondary layer of significance, Portis also noted that he was born in 1995.
The number choice deviates from typical jersey number selection, which often involves personal tributes or historical references. For Portis, the inspiration came directly from the Interstate 95 highway, a major route that connects the East Coast and leads to Miami.