MIAMI — Whenever Tim Hardaway Jr. came to Miami as a visiting player — all 15 times — his pregame ritual rarely changed. He would step inside the arena, glance up toward the rafters and find the same familiar banner.
Hanging above him was “Hardaway 10,” a tribute to his father’s years with the Heat and the number Miami retired in honor of Tim Hardaway Sr.
“Coming here when I was an opponent, I felt like it gave me a superpower,” Hardaway Jr. said.
Now, that number belongs to him.
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The Heat officially welcomed another Hardaway into the organization Wednesday, holding a return-to-Miami news conference for the 34-year-old guard. During the event, Hardaway was presented with a No. 10 Heat jersey — this version carrying “Jr.” after the family name across the back.
“This is really bizarre,” said Heat president Pat Riley, who coached Hardaway Sr. during his time in Miami.
Hardaway Sr. had previously said he did not want his retired number put back into circulation for the franchise. Speaking to Miami’s WQAM radio last week, he explained: “My legacy is my legacy, and (my son is) doing it his way.”
But Hardaway Jr. told the media Wednesday that things changed after some family discussions.
“I think the first go-round was a personal decision,” he said of his father’s initial thoughts. “The second go-round was a family decision.”
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.
That staffer was Erik Spoelstra, now the Heat head coach.
“Things are going to be a little bit more serious now than before,” Hardaway said. “But I mean, I’m 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’s a great person in order to do that.”
A familiar number begins a new chapter 💪 pic.twitter.com/xKtMWkIJpo
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) July 8, 2026
Miami entered the offseason with a slew of wishes and needs. It wanted a superstar and landed one by getting Giannis Antetokounmpo (and, like the rest of the league, is waiting to hear where former Heat star LeBron James will play this coming season). It also wanted to find shooting and durability; Hardaway is coming off a season in which he had career bests in 3-pointers made (224) and 3-point percentage (nearly 41%), and he has played in 236 of a possible 246 regular-season games over the past three seasons.
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.
“Once the call came, I think it was kind of a no-brainer,” Hardaway said. “It’s the right fit, not only for this franchise, but for me personally — 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’s just to make their life easy and that’s to knock down shots.”
And he gets to come home to do all that. Born and raised in Miami, the Heat will be his sixth NBA team — in the city he still calls home.
“I’ve been praying for this day,” Hardaway said. “I’ve always wanted this day to come, ever since I was a kid.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
