Will the Warriors retire Jimmy Butler’s jersey?
Jersey retirement debates have heated up, with a Jimmy Butler-Miami Heat reunion quickly approaching. Heat fans are split. Butler’s exit from the Heat was less than delicate. And the feud with Pat Riley was extremely public. They’re weighing the drama of Butler’s departure against the only two finals appearances they’ve had since the LeBron James-led Heatles era.
While it’s up in the air whether or not the Heat should retire Butler’s iconic No. 22 jersey, Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. revealed to Mark Stein that he challenged Butler to make his jersey retirement a guarantee with the Dubs.
“I told him, make sure you get it up in the rafters,” Dunleavy revealed. After joining the Warriors, Butler changed his jersey number from No. 22 to No. 10.
No. 10 is a number that carries a lot of weight in the Warriors’ history. Tim Hardaway of the famous Run TMC era is the most famous of the bunch. However, the seldomly mentioned David Lee also donned No. 10 during the early years of the Stephen Curry era.
In that same article by Stein, Butler chose No. 10 because of the prestige and aura of the number in soccer.
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“I feel like the people I consider the GOATs, they were 10,” Butler said. “So that’s my shout to them.”
However, where the No. 10 connection gets meaningful is with Dunleavy. Dunleavy also donned No. 10 when the Dubs drafted him third overall in the 2002 NBA draft. But Dunleavy’s chapter with the Warriors wasn’t as meaningful as Hardaway’s or Lee’s. He’s one of many Dubs lottery picks who did not live up to lofty star expectations.
However, Dunleavy’s challenge to Butler doesn’t only stem from the desire for him to achieve what he could not achieve as a player. It stems from days with the Chicago Bulls and Tom Thibodeau. It was there that Dunleavy realized how special Butler was, even among professional NBA players.
Their bond was a big reason why he traded for Butler. In that context, Butler told Stein in that same article, “This whole crazy NBA life all comes full circle,” when told he’s donning the Warriors number of his former Bulls teammate.
