The Miami Heat officially unveiled their new star.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, acquired June 23 in a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, held his introductory press conference Thursday, July 16 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
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Later, in a photo shoot, the Heat showed off Antetokounmpo wearing his new uniform.
One difference is his jersey number. With the Heat, Antetokounmpo will wear No. 7, which is a departure from the No. 34 he wore with the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo explained the reason for the switch, saying he initially picked No. 34 because his mother was born in 1963 and his father was born in 1964. Now, with Miami, he opted to take the final digits of those two years and add them.
“I felt like 34 holds so much weight and has so much history,” Antetokounmpo said during the press conference. “Out of respect to the organization that drafted me and that I played for 13 years, I decided to leave that number there and start a new chapter. Hopefully I can leave my mark here in Miami and make No. 7 as legendary as No. 34. But it’s almost like having closure for me, mentally and emotionally, just to have a closure from that number, because it meant a lot to me.
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“No. 7 looks good, it’s fresh, it’s clean. I saw some kids running in the street with it. I’m excited to create more moments with that number.”
Here are some other notable things Antetokounmpo, Heat president Pat Riley and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday:
Pat Riley hints at pursuit of LeBron James
Though he didn’t mention LeBron James by name, Riley spoke openly about the team’s pursuit of the 41 year old icon, who is an unrestricted free agent.
“(Heat executive vice president of basketball operations) Andy (Elisberg) called me and said we have a deal,” Riley said of the moment when Miami and the Bucks agreed to the Antetokounmpo trade. “We both sort of screamed out loud and said, ‘Yeah, we landed the plane.’ Now there’s another one we have to land.”
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Riley was not-so-subtly referencing James, who played four seasons with the Heat from 2010-14 and who led the franchise to two NBA titles. Later in the press conference, when asked to clarify whether the comment about the other plane referenced James, Riley once again declined to name him specifically.
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“As far as the 24-year veteran, that is something that would happen organically,” Riley said. “I hope I’m not talking out of both sides of my mouth here, but you never know that you’re ever going to win a title until you win one. But you’ll never win one if you don’t have the talent and the coaching.
“We’re not here guaranteeing anything. But we want to win,” Riley added. “This is the team that we have right now, and I’m happy with it.”
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Antetokounmpo says Heat is best path to another title
Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, center, is introduced as a new member of the Miami Heat by tream president Pat Riley, left, and head coach Erik Spoelstra, right, during a press conference on July 16, 2026.
Antetokounmpo did not shy away from everything being new and uncertain, but he cited the culture at Miami as being a primary draw for him.
“It was a no-brainer,” Antetokounmpo said. “I wanted to be here. I’m excited to be here, and I want to get to work.”
Now with Heat captain Bam Adebayo, Antetokounmpo and Miami will try to compete in the Eastern Conference after the Heat have languished in the play-in picture for the past couple of seasons. While the Heat may struggle to shoot the ball from the perimeter, they project to be formidable on defense, with Adebayo, Antetokounmpo, forward Andrew Wiggins and point guard Davion Mitchell in the starting lineup.
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“Obviously, I’ve accomplished a lot of things in my career, but one of my goals is to win another championship,” Antetokounmpo said. “I feel like this is the best route for me to do that.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heat welcome Giannis Antetokounmpo with new jersey. Could LeBron James be next?
