Giannis Antetokounmpo will leave behind his legacy as No. 34 on the Milwaukee Bucks and embrace a new challenge with the Miami Heat as No. 7.
Antetokounmpo has already had a Hall of Fame NBA career over his 13 seasons with the Bucks, but his second chapter with the Heat is going to be special.
It’s going to be special enough for Antetokounmpo to create a clear distinction by switching jersey numbers for the new era and explaining the motivations behind that decision.
Giannis Antetokounmpo explains why his new era will be with No. 7
Antetokounmpo addressed the jersey change during his introductory press conference with the Heat, explaining the origins behind his old No. 34 and how he selected No. 7 as his next number.
“I wore 34 because my mom was born in 1963 and my dad was born in 1964, so I took the three and four… if you add three and four, it equals seven.”
“I feel like 34 holds so much weight, and it has so much history. Out of respect to the organization that drafted me… I decided to leave that number there and try to start a new chapter.”
Giannis will have his Bucks jersey retired eventually, so it’s a fitting tribute by him to not wear No. 34 in the NBA again out of deference for the franchise, which will never let anyone wear No. 34 again either.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is bringing championship expectations to Miami
With the love Giannis clearly has for Milwaukee, his decision to leave was purely competitive as he wanted to return to title contention. He hopes he can do that with the Heat, a perennial member of the Eastern Conference’s Play-In Tournament for seeds No. 7 through 10.
Antetokounmpo has never played in the play-in and doesn’t intend to start doing so now, with the Heat being tipped as potential championship contenders.
There is still a lot to figure out to make this Heat squad a competitive roster, but the possibility of LeBron James joining makes them even more dangerous.
If Giannis is leaving No. 34 behind, he has to forge an incredible legacy with No. 7 on the Heat.
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