As free agent guard Tim Hardaway Jr. heads to the Miami Heat, he brings 3-point shooting prowess to a revamped team built around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
One thing he won't have is the No. 10, a jersey number he has worn in college and for portions of his NBA career.
The reason: His father, Tim Hardaway Sr., said he isn't letting his retired number come back into circulation for the Heat.
"My legacy is my legacy, and he's doing it his way. Even though he likes to wear 10, he loves to wear 10, but that is not coming down from the rafters," Tim Hardaway Sr. told WQAM radio in Miami on Wednesday.
The elder Hardaway played five seasons for the Heat from 1996 to 2001. A two-time All-Star with Miami, he was named to the All-NBA first team in 1997 and the second team in 1998 and 1999.
No one had worn No. 10 since he left Miami after he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2001, and the Heat retired his jersey in October 2009.
Hardaway Jr. agreed to a one-year, $6.5 million deal with the Heat, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Tuesday.
He has dealt with jersey conflicts before, as the No. 10 is retired by the New York Knicks (Walt Frazier) and Detroit Pistons (Dennis Rodman). With the Heat, Hardaway is expected to wear No. 11, which he also wore for part of his time with the Mavericks.
And Hardaway Sr. said he has no intentions to change his mind about making No. 10 available.
"That is tough to do," Hardaway Sr. told WQAM, "and when it's up there, you want it to stay up there and you don't want nobody to touch it. I love him. I love him to death. I'm happy for him. ... Now he's going to his hometown team. I never done that, and so I'm happy that he's doing it. But no, he can't wear No. 10."
