{"id":333777,"date":"2026-07-09T00:01:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T00:01:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/333777\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T00:01:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T00:01:40","slug":"the-family-number-10-now-belongs-to-tim-hardaway-jr-in-miami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/333777\/","title":{"rendered":"The family number 10 now belongs to Tim Hardaway Jr. in Miami"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Tim Hardaway Jr. previously wore the No. 10 with Atlanta, Dallas and Denver and will now don it in Miami.<\/p>\n

MIAMI (AP) \u2014 Tim Hardaway Jr. would always follow the same routine in his 15 visits to Miami as an opponent. Walk into the arena, take a look into the rafters, gaze at one specific banner.<\/p>\n

\u201cHardaway 10\u201d sways, commemorating his father\u2019s time with the Heat and the jersey they retired in Tim Hardaway Sr.\u2019s honor.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing here when I was an opponent, I felt like it gave me a superpower,\u201d Hardaway Jr. said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s his jersey now.<\/p>\n

First day on the job \ud83d\udcaa Let\u2019s goooo @T_HardJR<\/a>! pic.twitter.com\/A28HkMgPY6<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) July 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The Heat formally introduced part of the family on Wednesday, with the 34-year-old Hardaway getting his welcome-back-to-Miami news conference \u2014 and getting handed a No. 10 Heat jersey, only this one with \u201cJr.\u201d after the family surname on the back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really bizarre,\u201d said Heat President Pat Riley, who coached the elder Hardaway in Miami.<\/p>\n

A familiar number begins a new chapter \ud83d\udcaa pic.twitter.com\/xKtMWkIJpo<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) July 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The younger Hardaway used to run around the Heat practice floor as a kid while his dad played games, or hang out in the family room partaking in video games. As Hardaway Jr. got older, Riley would ask someone on the staff to put him through workouts on the practice court.<\/p>\n

That staffer was Erik Spoelstra, now the Heat head coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think things are going to be a little bit more serious now than before,\u201d Hardaway said. \u201cBut I mean, I\u2019m very comfortable and confident to be able to go up there and talk to coach anytime I need some guidance or assistance on anything. I feel like he\u2019s a great person in order to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miami entered the offseason with a slew of wishes and needs. It wanted a superstar; it landed one by getting Giannis Antetokounmpo (and, like the rest of the league, is waiting to hear where former Heat star LeBron James wants to play this coming season). It also wanted to find shooting and durability; Hardaway is coming off a season where he had career-bests in 3-pointers made (224) and 3-point percentage (nearly 41%), and he\u2019s played in 236 of a possible 246 regular-season games over the last three seasons.<\/p>\n

Full circle for the Hardaway family \u2764\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/sAJeylHcjx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) July 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

His role in Miami, whether as a starter or off the bench, will be simple: Make life easier for Antetokounmpo and Heat center Bam Adebayo.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce the call came, I think it was kind of a no-brainer,\u201d Hardaway said. \u201cIt\u2019s the right fit, not only for this franchise, but for me personally \u2014 especially when you have two guys out there that definitely need spacing for them to go out there and operate and do what they do best. My job here, it\u2019s just to make their life easy and that\u2019s to knock down shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he gets to come home to do all that. Born and raised in Miami, the Heat will be his sixth NBA team \u2014 in the city he still calls home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been praying for this day,\u201d Hardaway said. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted this day to come, ever since I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n