Heat's Jimmy Butler reveals surprising story behind jersey number
Despite the No. 23 being out of commission by the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler claims the team used the jersey as a negotiating tool in their free-agent pitch to him.
On Sunday, Butler visited Lids while waiting to learn who his Eastern Conference Finals opponent would be and spoke with fans about the numbers he has worn throughout his career.
Butler entered the NBA sporting No. 21 for the Chicago Bulls before deciding to wear No. 23 when he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers. In Miami, the No. 23 is retired as a tribute to Michael Jordan and his legendary career. However, Butler claims Heat president Pat Riley was willing to unretire it if he signed with the team in 2019.
"[No.] 21 I think is a wrap for me. That was just like my Chicago days," Butler said in a video posted on Instagram. "I'll never wear 21 again. You can't wear 23 [with the Heat] because of M.J. Literally. Pat Riley retired it. But, I will say this, whenever I did come here, Pat told me that I could wear 23. But I said no, so 22 it is."
In a 2020 interview, Butler revealed that he chose his Heat jersey number to pay homage to former teammate Taj Gibson "one of the toughest individuals" he has played alongside.
During Jordan's final season (2003), Miami retired his No. 23, which marked the first retirement of a jersey number in franchise history. Six years later, Miami finally honored its own greats by officially retiring Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway's Nos. 33 and 10 jerseys. Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade have all had their numbers retired as well.
The Heat also have a No. 13 Miami Dolphins jersey recognizing quarterback Dan Marino, but the number is not officially retired by the team.
Jordan's Heat jersey retirement was also the first time an NBA franchise retired a number for a player who didn't play for its team, which has happened twice since then. The Dallas Mavericks retired the late great Kobe Bryant's No. 24 jersey in 2020, and last offseason, the Association retired 11-time champion Bill Russell's No. 6 league-wide following his passing.
Butler's Heat resume doesn't stack up to those among all-time franchise legends, considering he's only in his fourth season with Miami. Though in terms of per-game figures, it's hard to deny he's one of the best players in team history.
The 33-year-old is Miami's leader in steals per game (1.8) and ranks third in points per game (21.5). His 25.3 player efficiency rating is also second to four-time MVP LeBron James.
Udonis Haslem should be the next to have his number retired by Miami, and soon after, the current Laker James will receive the same honor. But if Butler leads the Heat on another trip to the NBA Finals, he'll have a compelling case for his No. 22 to hang in the Kaseya Center rafters someday.
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