Giannis Antetokounmpo says No. 7 is closure on Milwaukee, may still wear 34 later

Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said he switched from No. 34 to No. 7 to close the Milwaukee chapter of his career, and he left open the chance he could wear 34 again with Miami.

Speaking on his brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s Thanalysis podcast, Antetokounmpo framed the change as respect for the organization that drafted him and the people who supported him through 13 Bucks seasons.

Why he left 34 in Milwaukee

“You had to get closure. It was a huge chapter in my life, and now I want to kind of move on,” Antetokounmpo said on the podcast, according to ClutchPoints and Bleacher Report coverage of the appearance on October 14. He added that he is not wearing 34 “out of respect for not just the organization, but the people that were there with me, supported me, and cared for me,” and that “34 is the number I will only be wearing in Milwaukee.”

The comments echo what he told reporters at his July introductory press conference in Miami, when he said 34 holds so much weight and history that he wanted to start a new chapter and make No. 7 as legendary as 34.

He compared it to Durant and LeBron

Antetokounmpo also pushed back on the idea that stars change numbers only for jersey sales. He pointed to Kevin Durant and LeBron James moving between numbers across teams and said the choice is not about merchandising.

The door is not closed on 34

He did not treat the switch as permanent. “But I’m human. I might change my mind. Maybe next year I might put 34 on. We’ll see,” he said on Thanalysis, per ClutchPoints.

Antetokounmpo and the Heat open the regular season at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 21.

Sources cited by name: Thanalysis podcast; ClutchPoints; Bleacher Report; Yahoo Sports.

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