Tim Hardaway Sr. made the All-NBA First Team in 1997 as a member of the Miami Heat. In fact, his #10 jersey was retired by the franchise, one of only seven hanging in the rafters. That said, even though he wanted his son, Tim Jr., to be in South Beach, the five-time NBA All-Star won’t let him wear his jersey.
In a segment of The OGs podcast, the 57-year-old explained why.
“I’ve been trying to get him {Tim Hardaway, Jr.} in a Heat jersey and he will not be wearing my number. If he gets on the Heat team, he will not be wearing my number, do you understand me?
You see how I walk now? It hurts when I walk. That’s why my jersey’s up there. You are not going to wear my number! Then my wife be like, why not? Because he’s not.
Yeah, my s— ain’t coming down. You might do something to jeopardize that s—. (laughs). I’m not gonna let you have that.“
Tim Hardaway, Sr. on why he wouldn’t let Tim Hardaway, Jr. wear his jersey if he landed on the Heat
So far, Hardaway Jr played for three teams– the New York Knicks, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Dallas Mavericks. He has worn four numbers over his career (3, 5, 10, 11) and has switched to No. 10 for the last two seasons as a Maverick.Â
That said, if he somehow makes his way to South Beach, the 32-year-old will have to choose a different number. That’s because numbers 3, 5, and 11, are all taken. He can’t wear number 3 because of Dwyane Wade, while Nikola Jovic (5) and Jaime Jaquez, Jr. (11) have the others.
Nevertheless, unless you are a superstar with some marketing stuff revolving around your jersey number, it should be the least of your worries. Hardaway, Jr. is a solid player, but he’s not Paul George (PG13) or Chris Paul (CP3) now, is he?
