Hall of Famer has one message for Tim Hardaway Jr. after Heat signing

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Hall of Famer has one message for Tim Hardaway Jr. after Heat signing originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is returning to the city where his father became a Miami Heat legend. Even so, one family tradition will end when he puts on a Heat uniform because the jersey number he has worn for most of his basketball career will stay in the rafters.

Tim Hardaway Sr. says his retired No. 10 belongs to Heat history​

Tim Hardaway Jr. has agreed to a one-year, $6.5 million contract with the Miami Heat, bringing him to the franchise where his father built a Hall of Fame career. But he will not wear No. 10, the number Tim Hardaway Sr. made famous in Miami. Speaking on WQAM radio, the elder Hardaway made it clear that the retired jersey will remain untouched. "My legacy is my legacy. Even though he likes to wear No. 10, that is not coming down from the rafters."

Hardaway Jr. has worn No. 10 since high school, through college, and for most of his NBA career, as a tribute to his father. Even so, Hardaway Sr. believes the jersey represents more than family. He said retired numbers should remain part of a franchise's history, regardless of who wants to wear them.

Hardaway Sr. joined the Heat in 1996 after a trade from the Golden State Warriors and became one of the greatest players in franchise history. He averaged 17.3 points and 7.8 assists in 367 regular-season games with Miami, earned two All-Star selections and three straight All-NBA honors, and finished fourth in MVP voting during the 1996-97 season. The Heat retired his No. 10 jersey in 2009, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.

Hardaway Jr. now begins his own chapter in Miami. The veteran guard is expected to add outside shooting and experience to a Heat team that recently acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo. His arrival also brings one of the NBA's rare father-son stories full circle, even if the famous No. 10 remains reserved for the player who first made it part of Heat history.

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