MIAMI (AP) — Every time Tim Hardaway Jr. walked into the arena as a visiting player over 15 trips to Miami, he had a ritual. He would look up into the rafters and find one particular banner hanging above the court.
That banner reads “Hardaway 10” — a tribute to his father’s career with the Heat and the jersey the franchise retired in the elder Hardaway’s honor.
“Coming here when I was an opponent, I felt like it gave me a superpower,” Hardaway Jr. said.
Now, that number belongs to him.
The Heat officially unveiled their newest player Wednesday, giving the 34-year-old Hardaway Jr. a formal introduction — and handing him a No. 10 Heat jersey, this one with “Jr.” stitched after the family name on the back.
“This is really bizarre,” said Heat President Pat Riley, who once coached Hardaway’s father in Miami.
As a child, Hardaway Jr. would roam the Heat practice facility while his dad played for the team, spending time in the family room playing video games. As he grew older, Riley would arrange for a staff member to put the younger Hardaway through workouts on the practice floor.
That staff member was Erik Spoelstra — who is now the Heat’s head coach.
“I think 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.”
Miami came into this offseason with a clear list of priorities. The team wanted a superstar and landed one by acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Heat were also searching for shooting ability and a player who could stay healthy. Hardaway checks both boxes — he set career highs last season with 224 three-pointers made and a three-point shooting percentage of nearly 41%, and he appeared in 236 out of a possible 246 regular-season games over the past three seasons.
Whether he starts or comes off the bench, his role is straightforward: make things 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.”
For Hardaway, this move is also deeply personal. Born and raised in Miami, the Heat will be his sixth NBA team — and the one playing in the city he still considers home.
“I’ve been praying for this day,” Hardaway said. “I’ve always wanted this day to come, ever since I was a kid.”
