NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Tim Hardaway Jr. grew up in Miami, where his father is simply a legend.
After spending his first six and a half seasons with the Golden State Warriors, the Heat acquired Tim Hardaway Sr. in a trade and he became one of the franchise’s all-time greats.
Now, Junior will follow in his father’s footsteps, accepting a $6.5 million contract to join the Heat and be one of the shooters around soon-to-be formally acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Miami Heat’s Tim Hardaway drives to the basket over New York Knicks’ Charlie Ward in the first quarter of game four of their first-round play-off series at Madison Square Garden. (Stan Honda/Getty Images)
Hardaway’s No. 10 was retired by the Heat in 2009, and to keep it in the family, his son has worn the number in three of his five NBA appearances.
The Heat is his sixth, but his son has yet to listen to his father, and No. 10 is off limits.
“My legacy is my legacy. Even though he likes to wear No. 10, that’s not something that comes from the rafters,” Tim Hardaway Sr. said on WQAM radio in Miami. “That’s hard to do. And when it’s up there, you want it to stay there and you don’t want anyone to touch it.”
“I love him. I love him. I’m happy for him… Watching him play in college and in 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’ve never done that, so I’m happy he’s doing it.
Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Detroit Pistons talks with Tim Hardaway Sr. before the game against the Milwaukee Bucks during the NBA Emirates Cup game on December 3, 2024 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images))
LEBRON JAMES THANKS THE LAKERS BEFORE THE DEPARTURE OF FREE AGENCY FOR THE 24TH NBA SEASON: ‘I HOPE I MADE SOME PROUD’
“But no, he can’t wear number 10.”
The elder Hardaway finished fourth and sixth in MVP voting and was named to the All-NBA first team and two All-NBA second teams during his tenure. The franchise won its fourth title four years after he left with the help of Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal.
Hardaway Jr. has previously worn many other numbers at his other stops, such as No. 5 and No. 3, but those are unavailable thanks to current Heat player Nikola Jovic and Wade, respectively. The number 11, which he wore with the Dallas Mavericks, is also worn by Jaime Jacquez Jr.
Tin Hardaway Sr. and Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Dallas Mavericks chat before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the NBA Global Games Abu Dhabi 2023 at Etihad Arena on October 5, 2023 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Brian Choi/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
So he may have to hand something over to Trevor Keels, who played eight games with the Heat wearing No. 8.
