Bobby Portis is bringing an unusual number to Miami this season, and there’s a simple reason behind it.
After spending years in No. 9 with the Milwaukee Bucks, the new Heat forward will wear No. 95 with Miami. Portis explained the switch in an interview with Fox 16 KLRT in Miami, saying the number he wanted was already taken by teammate Pelle Larsson.
“One of my teammates [Pelle Larsson] has my number, No. 9," Portis said.
"He said it was super sentimental to his family and everybody wore No. 9.
I tried to pay him for it. He still didn't want the money."
That kind of jersey negotiation is hardly unusual in pro sports, even if the number itself stands out. NBA players rarely go above No. 55, though there have been exceptions like Dennis Rodman wearing No. 91 with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, Luka Doncic wearing No. 77 throughout his career with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks and Metta World Peace taking numbers in the 90s - 91, 96 and 93 - with the Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings.
Portis handled Larsson’s refusal with respect, and the change gave him a clean break from Milwaukee. In his view, the new number fits the moment: a fresh start in Miami.
The choice also has a bit of personal symmetry. Before he ever wore No. 9, Portis started his career with No. 5, so No. 95 lets him nod to both the beginning and the present.
For the Heat, though, the number matters less than the production. They’re hoping Portis brings the same edge and energy he showed while wearing No. 9 and helping the Bucks win the NBA championship in 2021.
In Other News...
Jason Williams Just Hit The Sixers With A Brutal Reality Check
Jason Williams is not buying the idea that Philadelphias star-heavy offseason automatically puts the 76ers ahead of the Heat in the East. The former NBA guard pointed to Miami, along with the Knicks and Magic, as teams he believes can still stack up well against the revamped Sixers, even after Philadelphia added names like Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
The bigger issue, in Williams view, is whether all that talent fits together on the floor. He questioned Philadelphias defense and rebounding as the areas that could keep the roster from matching Miamis balance, which is a familiar kind of warning around a team built on big names rather than clean edges. For Heat fans, it is the sort of outside skepticism that only sharpens the comparison heading into the season. [Read more 🡒]
How Josh Richardson Changed Everything For The Heat Without Fans Realizing
Josh Richardson spent the 2018-19 season as Miamis primary scoring option, carrying the kind of workload that usually comes with expectation and scrutiny. The production was solid enough to keep him in the conversation, but not quite enough to make him the long-term answer the Heat hoped he might become.
What followed ended up reshaping the franchise far more than it changed Richardsons own profile. Miami moved on, and the ripple effect was enormous, setting up a stretch that brought multiple deep playoff runs and two trips to the NBA Finals before the era eventually closed with Butlers departure in 2025. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Linked To Another Familiar Veteran And Fans May Be Split
As Miami keeps sorting out the edges of its roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, Bruce Brown has emerged as another familiar veteran worth watching. The South Florida connection gives the idea some natural appeal, and it is the kind of name that tends to surface when the Heat are looking for a player who already understands the market and the expectations that come with it.
Jake Fischer was the insider to float Brown as a target, and the fit is easy enough to see on paper. Brown would not be coming in as a cure-all for the bigger roster questions, but as a depth piece on the wing and a steady veteran presence, which is exactly the sort of role Miami has been willing to mine before. Whether fans see that as smart business or more of the same is where the debate starts. [Read more 🡒]