MIAMI — The Miami Heat officially introduced veteran guard Tim Hardaway Jr. on Wednesday, welcoming the Miami native back home and revealing he will wear his father’s retired No. 10 jersey.
Hardaway, who grew up in Miami and attended Miami Palmetto High School and Palmer Trinity School before starring at University of Michigan, said signing with the Heat fulfilled a longtime dream.
“I’m happy to be here, happy to be home,” Hardaway said. “This is definitely a surreal moment, not only for myself but for my family. I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time.”
Hardaway said joining Miami was an easy decision once the opportunity presented itself.
“Once the call came, I think it was kind of a no-brainer,” he said. “The right fit, not only for this franchise, but for me personally, especially when you have two of the guys out there that definitely need spacing for them to go out there and operate and do what they do best. My job here, I feel like it’s just to make their life easy, and that’s to knock down shots.”
Heat President Pat Riley praised Hardaway’s consistency and shooting ability while recalling his father’s arrival in Miami during the 1990s.
Hardaway calls this “surreal”.
— Will Manso (@WillManso) July 8, 2026
“I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a very long time.” https://t.co/T4zRbeYwOB
“I remember when he was here,” Riley said of Tim Hardaway Sr. “It just takes me back. Now the son of a guy that we have hanging from the rafters.”
Riley joked that if Hardaway earns his own jersey retirement, “we have to come up with a one-day No. 11 or something.”
Hardaway said wearing No. 10 in Miami carries special meaning. His father’s jersey has been retired by the Heat and hangs in the rafters at Kaseya Center.
“I’ve been wearing that number ever since I started playing the game of basketball because of my father,” Hardaway said. “I always looked up to him ever since I started playing the game, still do to this day.”
When asked how he convinced his father to let him wear the retired number, Hardaway smiled before explaining the decision.
On the way he convinced his dad to let him wear No. 10. Tim Hardaway Jr says it was a family decision. pic.twitter.com/NRIxwqxIlH
— Will Manso (@WillManso) July 8, 2026
“I’m just gonna leave it at this,” he said. “I think the first go around it was a personal decision. And I think the second go around was a family decision. I’m going to wear it with honor.
Hardaway also reflected on returning to the franchise where he spent much of his childhood around the team.
“I mean, from the old arena, Miami Arena down the street to this one ... it’s so many memories that I remember about this place,” he said. “Everyone that’s been working here is still here, which is awesome. They treated me with open arms like I’m family.”
The 13-year NBA veteran has played for the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets. He owns career averages of 13.9 points while shooting 41.9% from the field and 36.5% from 3-point range.
Last season with Denver, Hardaway averaged 13.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 44.7% from the field and 40.7% from beyond the arc. He said he expects to complement stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo and by creating space and knocking down open shots.
“My job is to make their job easy,” Hardaway said. “It’s gonna take time. It’s gonna be a lot of film work, a lot of things to see where we can be great at, but a lot of fun.”
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