Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Claims Pat Riley Was Willing To Unretire Michael Jordan's No. 23

Jimmy Butler said the Miami Heat were welcomed to him wearing No. 23, which was retired because of Michael Jordan
Shandel Richardson|
Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Claims Pat Riley Was Willing To Unretire Michael Jordan's No. 23
Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Claims Pat Riley Was Willing To Unretire Michael Jordan's No. 23

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In 2003, the Miami Heat retired Chicago Bulls' legend Michael Jordan's No. 23 jersey out of respect. 

Heat team president Pat Riley was behind the move but Jimmy Butler recently said they offered the number to him when he was acquired via trade in 2019. 

Butler has worn No. 22 in Miami since he was acquired. That's not to say he hasn't had a No. 23 impact with the Heat. He led them to the 2020 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. After a first-round loss to the Milwaukee Bucks the following season, Butler has led the Heat to back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference finals. 

They play either the Philadelphia 76ers or Boston Celtics in the next round. 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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