Giannis changing from No. 34 to No. 7 with Heat. What it means for those who bought No. 34
The Miami Heat was successful in landing its top target this offseason, trading for two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Heat got that part right.
But the Heat apparently didn’t get Antetokounmpo’s number right.
Shortly after the trade for Antetokounmpo became official on Monday afternoon, the Heat announced that he would wear No. 34 — the same number that he wore for the first 13 seasons of his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks.
But then word came seven hours later that Antetokounmpo has actually decided to change his jersey number to No. 7 with the Heat.
With the Heat immediately starting to sell Antetokounmpo’s No. 34 jersey after his acquisition was finalized when the NBA’s moratorium lifted at 12:01 p.m. on Monday, that left the Heat searching for a remedy for those who purchased Antetokounmpo’s No. 34 Heat jersey before the number change became public a few hours later.
“All Giannis jersey orders and personalized “ANTETOKOUNMPO” No. 34 jerseys will be fulfilled with the new No. 7,” according to a Heat spokesperson. “If fans purchased a Giannis jersey in-store, they’ll be able to exchange it for the new No. 7.”
Rookie guard Ryan Conwell was initially set to wear No. 7 with the Heat after being acquired by Miami in the second round of this year’s draft. But he’ll need to switch to a different number now that Antetokounmpo will wear No. 7.
The Heat dealt guard Tyler Herro, center Kel’el Ware, forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., guard Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks (No. 13 overall this year that turned into Tennessee forward Nate Ament, and unprotected picks in 2031 and 2033), one first-round pick swap in 2030 and a 2033 second-rounder to the Bucks to acquire Antetokounmpo and veteran forward Bobby Portis. The trade was agreed to shortly before midnight on June 22 prior to being formalized on Monday.
Portis will wear No. 95 for the Heat.
“The announcement of today’s trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis Jr. is one of the great trades in Heat history,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement issued by the team on Monday. “In my opinion, Giannis is one of the top five players in the league, and Bobby is one of the best power forwards.”
Despite just finishing his 13th NBA season, Antetokounmpo, 31, is still at the top of his game. He averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 62.4% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range in 36 appearances this past regular season.
But injuries have been an issue for Antetokounmpo recently, as he played a career-low 36 games last season due in large part to multiple calf strains. He then sustained a hyperextended left knee and bone bruise on March 15 that cut his season short.
When healthy, Antetokounmpo is still considered one of the NBA’s top players. Not only was he named the league’s MVP for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, but he finished in the top four in MVP voting in seven straight seasons before injuries limited him this past season.
Antetokounmpo has also been named to nine All-NBA teams (seven first-team selections and two second-team selections) and five All-NBA Defensive teams (four first-team selections and one second-team selection) during his career. He was also named the NBA’s Most Improved Player for the 2016-17 season and the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2019-20 season.
The Bucks drafted Antetokounmpo with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft as an 18-year-old out of Greece. He spent his entire NBA career with the Bucks prior to this trade to the Heat.
